Sheltering from the stars
by LightningWolfHowl
Summary: They were supposed to be the rescuers, not the hunted. Alone and scattered, Jeff Tracy's dream seems lost as his family struggle to cope without one another.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note : This may be a one-shot or perhaps a fully grown fic. I haven't quite decided yet.**_

 _ **/**_

Blue eyes carefully surveilled the world outside the old glass windows. A gentle breeze stirred the dirt in the road blowing it around aimlessly. The same wind whistled through the abandoned gas station. Outside, all was silent.

There was nothing out there. The darkness seemed to take over everything. Only the moon cast a silver light over the desert countryside. There was nothing out there but dirt and rocks. He'd been starring at it for long enough to know that. He knew what the landscape looked like with a hot sun beating down upon it. Sitting in his chair, he'd taken in every rock, shrub, cactus and dead tree that the land beyond the window had to offer. It rolled on seemingly never ending, going on for miles as far as the eye could see and beyond. A brutal and harsh terrain, nothing much past some resilient and thorny plant life seemed to be able to survive out there. The only movement came from the wind which might blow through the trees from time to time. Even then, there was a deadness about the hot air which seemed to suit this cemetery of a land. The only sign of human life was the road a few yards away. He'd only counted about two cars rolling past on it.

Sitting all alone, starring out at the nothingness. He felt completely isolated. It was almost as if he were living on another planet. In some ways, it now felt like one.

The screech of an owl cut through the silence of the night. It was enough to cause the man to look around before assuring himself once more that he was still by himself. Still, the gaze of the man was a worried one. Time and time again, he scanned the area. He didn't know what he was expecting. Could he even expect anything? He couldn't see much out there, barely anything in fact. The shadows made it impossible to see what was coming and he didn't dare turn on a light. Even a candle out here would be out of place. The flicker of its flame could be spotted and in a place which up until a few days ago hadn't had any residents in over thirty years, it would raise the suspicion of any locals who noticed it. Not that there were many to worry about. With no towns in a 100 mile radius, it was fair to say that he was currently sitting in the middle of nowhere.

So that left him here, looking out a window into a world he could barely make out and with only himself for company. The nerves were dying down, leaving place only for a truly crushing feeling of exhaustion. For some reason, he still found himself completely unable to close his eyes and get some sleep. It wasn't for want of trying. If he did somehow manage to close his eyelids, he found no rest there just a crushing sense of the world around him. It manifested in a strong sense loneliness and despair which had began to take over him some time ago and showed no signs of leaving him any time soon. It weighed upon his shoulders heavily and seemed to rob any sense that things could ever possibly work out.

Turning away from the window, he allowed his gaze to travel once more over the dusty surfaces of the room he now sat in. It had been years since anyone had even contemplated cleaning the place up. He couldn't help but wonder when the last person had set foot in here had been. Certainly he could still see his own footprints in the years accumulated dirt from when he had first walked in. He distracted himself for a few moments by retracing each and every step he had taken and differentiating his own from the smaller set of feet which had entered along side him.

He let out a sigh and checked his watch. Three hours, eight minutes and twenty two seconds. He was beginning to worry.

The truth was he was terrified. He was alone and blind, at least that was what it felt like. He was living on borrowed time, he was aware of that. Soon, he might easily find himself thinking back to these hours in solitude fondly. These moments of peace really should be ones which he took advantage of. If he were smart he would rest. Given everything that had happened, he should have been trying his best to recuperate his strength. It felt as if almost all of it had been torn straight from his very being leaving him utterly powerless. If anything however sitting here like this only made the sensation worse. Every second which trickled by, things were slipping away from him. Any notion that at any point he had been in control of the situation had been lost long ago. Now, he was left feeling tiny in the face of the magnitude of everything that had happened and could very well still be to come.

For a moment, worried eyes dared to drift up to the star filled sky. Almost as soon as he looked up, he retreated back inside of the room. He looked around once more as if checking to ensure that he was still very much alone. His fingers instinctively came up to his left forearm, gingerly they brushed against the bandage tightly wrapped around his skin. Pain radiated sharply causing him to gasp slightly. He refrained himself from gripping at the wound as his instinct commanded remembering the harsh instructions that had been given to him by the person who had given him the stitches. Instead, he hissed in pain grabbing at the fabric of his jeans around his knees to give himself something to grab a hold of. Breathing heavily, he found the pain slowly began to fade after a few seconds. In hindsight, it wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done. The wound was still relatively fresh and his flesh was still tender.

Laying his head back so that it rested against the top of the backrest of the chair, he gently ran a hand over the three day beard which had formed on his face. It was stress. In less than a week, he reckoned that he had acquired pretty much every nervous tic and bad habit known to man. If he wasn't drinking it was because he hadn't been presented with the opportunity. There was something almost appealing about the prospect of being able to drown his sorrows and worries in a whiskey bottle and momentarily forget about the world around him and how messed up it had suddenly become.

He closed his eyes. He was so tired. God he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep and escape this place for a little while… He took a few deep breaths in an attempt to chase away all of his worries and the permanent lingering fear. He tried to forget about how everything had changed and where he currently was. In his mind, he tried to picture home and the warm, friendly and familiar faces that occupied it. He opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling above him. He was wasting his time. He wouldn't sleep. He could feel it in his bones. Those faces and the kindness they reminded him of served to haunt him more than anything else, robbing any hope of finding sleep that he might have had. They were a reminder of his weakness, his mistakes, his great failure which had lead to this current situation and the realization that he might be to blame for the shattering of his world.

Letting out a sigh, he lowered his head. His hands were clasped as they lay loosely on his lap. Was he praying? Not for himself. He wasn't sure where he could even start as far as he was concerned. These past sleepless days and nights he had done almost noting but hope against hope for the safety of those that he loved. He hadn't cared when he'd been stitched up quickly. The fact that he hadn't had any food in what was fast approaching two days had only vaguely registered with him. All that mattered was that his family was lost, scattered to the winds and all he had to show for it was remorse. Sitting there in that abandoned gas station in the middle of the desert, it felt as if the sun might never rise…

"I thought I told you to get some sleep!"

The commanding voice cut through the silence of the night like a knife.

Panic struck him as soon as he heard the sound. Like a jack in the box, he jumped. Literally he was out of his chair. His legs threatened to buckle under his weight. He hadn't been walking around much these past few days and his muscles were for lack of a better word "out of practice". Thankfully, they remained strong enough to support him. All the same, he braced himself with his left hand against the window frame seeking at least some balance. His right fist was clenched ready to fight despite his acute awareness that it wouldn't be enough. His rapid breaths slowed slightly as his eyes met a familiar figure standing in the doorway. His heart was still thumping but at least he knew that it was a friend.

She shouldn't be here but she was and there was no getting rid of her. For once in his life, he was glad that she wouldn't do a single thing that he asked her to.

The young woman stood there with a rucksack on her back. He barely recognised her. Only her eyes unmistakably belonged to the person he had known since they were both children. They caught the cold moonlight in an odd way. She had been quick to shed anything which might have allowed someone to identify her undoing her hair, she had pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up so as to obscure as many of her features as possible. It was the best that she had managed short of wearing a mask. With her arms folded across her chest and a grim expression, he sensed that he was on the receiving end of her wrath once more. Still, there was no hiding the relief that he felt as he faced her once more.

"Kayo..." He breathed.

She slipped her bag off of her shoulders, guiding it down to the ground. She stretched, rolling her shoulder blades relieved to be free from the weight. She removed the hood a second later. The young woman remained utterly silent as she took a few steps. Kayo was unnerving. He had known her for years and still found her ability to move without making even the slightest sound to be decidedly disturbing. It was as if she had an inbuilt sound muffler which somehow rendered her very existence mute. Even when there was no reason for her to be quiet, she still made no noise not even as she moved. He couldn't even hear her footsteps on the floor as she stopped next to him. It was a gift she had been born with and one which had saved their lives on numerous occasions, still… It was something he wasn't entirely sure he would be completely comfortable with.

Her slender fingers were gentle as they touched the bandage on his forearm. He looked at her face trying to make out what she thought of it. Kayo knew more about injuries than he did. More importantly, he trusted her to give him impartial judgement. If she thought it needed more tending to, she would see that it was done no matter how much he protested on the grounds that it hurt. Her expression was grave but he couldn't see the concern which would cause him too to start worrying about it. He felt the warmth of her breath against his arm as she let out a soft sigh.

"I want to have a look at it, make sure it's healing okay." She declared taking a step back. "Sit down."

He obliged having learnt the hard way not to contradict or resist his friend when she was playing the role of a doctor. She knelt down next to him before carefully unwrapped the bandages that she had applied a while ago. She'd ensured that they were tight and would provide at least some protection for the wound underneath. She discarded them thoughtlessly next to the chair. There was no Grandma Tracy to be chasing them about keeping things clean here. She'd probably get rid of it later for hygiene reasons when they both had less on their minds. He dared to glance at the injury. It was looking better, at least that was his opinion. It was drier and even seemed to have scabbed over somewhat. Kayo inspected it carefully, even pulling out a small torch from one of her pockets to get a better look. She must have been satisfied as without saying another word she headed back over to their makeshift infirmary and got another bandage.

They didn't talk much. It wasn't fear of being found – who would hear them out here? - so much as a simple lack of will to say anything. For his part, he simply didn't know where to begin. How could any words sum up everything that had happened? Silence seemed to suit both of them better at the moment. If only because it delayed the inevitable discussion they would have to have. They couldn't ignore what had happened and what their current situation was but they could attempt to pretend that the other one must have had some kind of brilliant plan that they just hadn't shared yet, one which would solve all of their problems.

Still, sitting there as she bandaged up his arm, he couldn't help but confess:

"I was worried about you."  
"I was fine." She sounded almost annoyed by the question, it manifested by a somewhat rougher application of the bandage which caused him to wince. "I kept to the shadows. No one recognised me! It was just a shopping trip."

He closed his eyes. He knew better than to question Kayo's skill. He imagined the woman travelling to the nearby town to pick up some supplies. She would have been in and out silent as a ghost. No doubt she knew how to avoid cameras. She would have ensured that she wasn't being followed before coming back here. Her bike would be hidden some place. She was brilliant. Without her he would either be dead or captured by now. She hadn't listened to him when he'd told her that it was too dangerous to go, virtually storming off and leaving him in the desert. She was maddening. She would be the cause of his insanity.

A strange scent caught his attention. It was lingering in the air. He felt as if he should have recognised it but his groggy head refused to cooperate with him and allow him to identify whatever the smell was. He turned to Kayo, looking to her for something of an explanation. She raised her eyes to meet his. A knowing smile crept onto her face. It vanished a moment later replaced with a look of absolute seriousness as she returned to finish bandaging the injury. Curious, he allowed her to continue with her work. All the while, he kept his gaze fixed firmly upon the bag. He let his mind wonder about what could possibly be contained within it. Given the nature of his friend, it was almost impossible to tell. She was good with surprises. She had finished a moment later. Inspecting her work for a few seconds before getting back to her feet and dusting herself off.

Finally curiosity got the better of him:

"Okay, Kayo what's in the bag?"  
"Curious are you?"

Her teasing smile was endearing and enough to cause him to snort slightly in amusement. Moments of happiness were brief and things which he only experienced in brief bursts at the moment. Kayo headed back over to bag opening it in order to pull out a large brown paper bag. She tossed it over to him. He only just managed to catch it before he hit the floor. He could already feel a familiar warmth coming from inside. He raised his eyes to meet those of his friend. She nodded, encouraging him to open it and see what was inside. He did so. She must have made an extra stop to get this stuff. Yet another risk, he should have been angry at her but right now, all he could feel was gratitude as his stomach began to rumble.

"You're my hero."  
"Someone has to be." She came back over to him clutching a couple of bottles before offering him one. "Here."

He took it from her. Somehow, it was still cool. He found himself wondering how she could have acquired a warm meal and a cool beer when there was 100 miles between where they were right now and the rest of civilisation but at that moment he didn't particularly care. The promise of some decent food and a drink seemed to make the physics behind just how they had gotten here seem unimportant. Kayo pulled up a chair and sat down a couple of feet in front of him. She opened her bottle quickly using her teeth. It was a technique she had mastered and managed to pull off flawlessly in a few seconds apparently without hurting herself. The same couldn't be said for him however. It was a trick he had never quite got the hang of. He tried a couple of times but only succeeded in giving himself a toothache.

Kayo shook her head with exasperation. Reaching forwards, she took the bottle from him. In a few seconds she had the top off which she spat onto the floor before handing him back the drink. He muttered a "thanks". The beer was bitter. It wasn't a taste he particularly enjoyed. Still right now, his parched throat and tired body felt as if they needed it. It was the same for the burger. A hunger lead him to wolf them down without hesitation. For every bite that he took, he found himself reminded that he hadn't eaten in quite some time, at least not warm food. For once, he was glad that his friend had taken a chance. In a few hours, when he was no longer enjoying the meal and it had settled in his stomach no doubt some more reflection would lead him to see just how reckless and foolhardy she had been. He'd get angry at her again and there would almost certainly be some bickering. For the time being however, he was content to share the tub of chips with her.

Quietness reigned. He cast his friend a brief glance. She was exhausted. He could tell that from the bags under her eyes and the way that she sat in the chair listlessly. Any attempts to maintain a decent posture had been abandoned. Given she'd spent the best part of three days running around and caring for him he couldn't blame her. It would have been more surprising if she hadn't been tired. It brought back into his mind their current situation. He let out a sigh drawing her attention. Her eyes rested upon him for a few moments. She knew full well what he was thinking about. He let out a sigh realizing that he could no longer prolong the inevitable. Naturally, he was the first one to break the silence:

"What's it like out there?"  
"We're still making the headlines." She informed him picking up a new chip. "That's good."  
"Yeah… Means they haven't caught the others."

Somehow, he failed to sound as hopeful as he should have. His tone hadn't escaped Kayo. The young woman frowned disapprovingly. It wasn't the first time she'd taken a disliking to his current attitude. His despair was apparently uncalled for as far as she was concerned. For all that however, she was yet to come up with a decent plan or way forwards. After three days, giving up hope was increasingly easy to do. He just felt so darned tired all the time it made it almost impossible to focus on anything other than how everything had fallen apart and they seemed to have no possibility of ever putting it back together again.

He didn't look away, despite his friend's glare. He wondered how many times over the past few days she'd told him to stop feeling sorry for himself and get his act together. Too many to count. Thankfully, for much of today she had content herself with ignoring him preoccupying herself with amassing a collection of tools and equipment for them to use. It had been a welcome break for both of them during the baking heat of the midday sun with only each other for company. Things were bad enough without them constantly bickering. Right now, tiredness and desperation were making him grumpy that was never a good mindset to be in when dealing with Kayo who could be difficult in her own ways. Still, right now he couldn't help himself. He knew he would probably regret it in the future.

"When was the last time you slept?" She asked him, the question wasn't entirely out of context.  
"I don't know..." His answer was quick and dismissive.  
"You can't think if you don't sleep." She declared getting to her feet putting some distance between them.

He grumbled but didn't give her any more of a response than that. He felt her cold gaze resting upon him for a few moments. It was a powerful one and something which took quite a bit of effort to ignore. His friend had a way of making her anger felt (more often than not in the form of a fist). It took quite some effort to ignore her or at least not to react too visibly. She stood there for a few moments before moving along. She must have been tired if she wasn't labouring the point any more than that. Either the past few days had truly taken their toll on her or she had run out of patience with him so entirely that she wasn't about to bother with him for any longer.

They ignored one another for a while longer. The man maintained his spot by the window. His gaze was lost along with his mind. Kayo was right, he couldn't think all that clearly right now. He hadn't been able to think clearly for days now. He couldn't have said if that was because of his current state of mind or actually the root of the problem as his friend seemed to think it was. Probably a bit of both.

The sound of movement caused him to turn around to look at his friend. He watched as she made her way to the corner of the room. There were a couple of blankets there. The hard floor wasn't all that comfortable but exhaustion was powerful enough to make it not matter so much. Kayo shifted a little, settling down. He watched her for a few moments. She lay there motionless for a while. She was still awake. The soft breathing of the young woman stood out in the quietness of their deserted surroundings. In other circumstances, it might have been relaxing. Right now, he could still sense the rift and anger between them.

"You're a God damn idiot Scott Tracy..."

He didn't respond. Sometimes he found it difficult to argue with her…


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Well, looks like this is going to be a full-blown story after all. Thanks for the reviews.

/

 _Splash._

A moderately large stone crashed into the crystal clear waters of the lagoon. It sunk there without a trace. Going all the way down to the sandy bottom where it disturbed a hermit crab which was fortunate enough to narrowly avoid being crushed by the rock from above. Another was soon to follow it, landing a little further away. They had been irregularly for the past twenty minutes or so causing most of the local fish to seek shelter in some of the nearby rocks and kelp. Every now and then, one braver soul might venture out wondering if it was safe only for another projectile to almost hit them on the head.

A man with blonde hair sat on a rock. His trousers were rolled up to above his knees allowing him to dangle his feet listlessly in the warm waters. He stirred them slowly, mindlessly creating little waves as he did so. Next to him, his pile of pebbles was gradually diminishing. He'd spent the day accumulating them. Walking around whilst everyone else was busy, he'd picked them up whenever he came across them stuffing them in his pockets. They ranged in size from that of a coin to a few which were getting to be almost the size of his fist and therefore dangerous when thrown through the air. He'd had no criteria when picking them up. They were just there and provided him with something to do and a way of getting rid of at least some of the frustration pent up inside of him. It wasn't as if there was anything else better to do here.

Half a dozen brave crabs watched him as he thoughtlessly reached his hand into the pile and picked up a round pebble. He didn't even look to see which one he had chosen before throwing it with all of his strength into the blue waters. It didn't travel as far as some of the others had. In truth, his arm was beginning to tell him that after twenty minutes of lobbing rocks around he should maybe consider calling it a day or at least make sure he was doing so properly as opposed to haphazardly. At this rate, his body was telling him he was going to pull a muscle. There was a technique to throw something properly and right now he wasn't using it. That didn't matter though. His mind was elsewhere, somewhere distant and angry.

He ignored his aching muscles and picked up the largest one yet. It prompted him to get to his feet. He pulled the rock back behind his head and threw it as far as physically possible. It's occupant, a small crab had just enough time to jump ship as it went flying into the waters creating quite the splash and a series of sizable ripples. The young blonde man struggled to maintain his balance, swaying his arms around trying to avoid falling. Ultimately, he tumbled forwards but succeeded in catching himself before he actually hit his face.

Kneeling there, he found himself looking out over the lagoon. It was beautiful. Under other circumstances, he would have quite liked to explore it. He would have spent hours diving under the water and admiring the sealife, perhaps he could even have dragged one or several of his brothers along. The thought caused him to grip at the rock beneath his hands as he found himself struggling with the urge to scream which had been plaguing him all day.

He didn't turn around as he heard the sound of heavy boots against the rocks coming towards him. Naturally, he knew who they belonged to. There was only one man on this island who would make a noise like that. In those few seconds as he approached, the blonde haired man found himself torn between screaming at him to go away and leave him alone and throwing himself into his arms. He did neither, simply remaining kneeling there staring out into the distance with a look of cold resentment etched onto his face.

The other man came over slowly stopping next to him. He looked down with those soft dark brown eyes of his full of compassion before looking back out over the lagoon. No doubt he had seen the stones fly, it was almost impossible to conceive that he hadn't given the size of a few of them and the fact that the pool of water was visible from all over the island. Still, the silence between them lingered. Perhaps the dark haired man was waiting for him to speak, to explain his actions or at least to express his fears and concerns. Whatever the case, he was met only by a continual silence. Finally, he let out a soft laugh of all things making a stark contrast with the grim atmosphere which had reigned over the tropical paradise for the past few days. The odd action earned him a glare from the younger blonde. He was greeted with a smile.

"All those lectures you gave us about not dropping stuff into oceans and here you are bombarding the local endangered fish species!"

He let out an irritated huff in an attempt to tell the other man that he wasn't in the mood for such comments right now. He suspected that he was only too aware of that fact but chose to ignore it none-the-less.

The man hesitated a moment looking down at him but saying nothing. In the challenge of who could maintain eye contact for the longest, it was the slightly lighter shade of brown which lost eventually flickering away and lowering themselves to look back down at the crystal clear waters. It was easier than facing up to the man to his left. He made him feel small. Not only because of his size, he was a veritable bear but because of the fact that despite everything he could carry on. That's what he had been doing these past three days: carrying on. He made himself useful whenever he could. If he wasn't helping by trying to find a solution to their predicament, he was preparing their next meal or simply acting as some form of pillar for them all to lean on. He never faltered. He never complained.

When his younger sibling compared himself to the man, he found himself falling short. What had he done? He'd roamed this tiny island of sand, palm trees and rocks from end to end wondering where it had all gone wrong and how things could slip away so quickly. He'd lamented over the fact that they hadn't been able to stick around long enough to know if their friends in London had made it out. He'd begged to be able to take his craft out some place isolated and to try and contact the rest of the family who were now scattered to the four corners of the Earth and beyond. None of that had served any purpose other than to cause even more distress among their group. He was a third wheel. Unnecessary and maybe even making things worse.

His brother sat next to him. He said nothing for a while, simply starring out into the distance. It was a way to let things calm down. They'd lived together long enough to know how the other one ticked. There was a time for talking and another for some silent reflection which would allow tempers to die down. Somehow, the dark haired man always seemed to know when it was time to do one thing or another. He could adapt to everyone's different personality and always seemed to get it right. It was a skill the other could only dream of possessing.

"You worried about them?" He asked eventually.  
"Aren't you?!" He sounded angrier than he wanted to but it was something he couldn't help.  
"Of course I am!" The man defended himself whilst somehow managing to keep a level voice. "But Gordon you're not going to achieve anything by throwing rocks into a lagoon!"

It was enough to prompt the blonde haired brother to get back to his feet. He stormed away. He didn't go far, only a couple of yards at most. His fists were clenched. He wasn't angry at his brother, far from it. If it weren't for Virgil's refusal to follow protocol he would currently probably be navigating the Atlantic by his lonesome. It was everything else that had happened which infuriated him but perhaps more than that the fact that three days on they were still unable to do anything about it.

They had talked. There had been hours of talking and speculating but they still came to the conclusion that for the moment it was too risky to do anything. Not only would they be endangering their own lives but also those of the rest of their family and friends whom they attempted to contact. It left them trapped. They had come here to seek refuge unable to hide in the skies forever. No doubt what remained of International Rescue had done something similar or they could be dead. That thought had crossed his mind a few times too. What if whilst they had sat here and talked his family had been tracked down and slaughtered? It was enough to threaten to keep him up at night. The radio silence made it unbearable. He would give anything to hear their voices, even if it was just to know that they were keeping their heads down.

Turning back to his brother, wondering how he could possibly put it all into words without screaming. He'd shouted a few hours ago and had to apologize. It was something he could see himself doing again in the not too distant future.

"This sucks Virgil!" His voice was loud but not quite at the shouting stage yet. "This sucks so bad! We risked out lives for two years saving people and how do they thank us? They turn on us as soon as things get a little shitty!"

Virgil frowned but said nothing. The blonde haired man waited. He expected a response of one sort or another. Instead his brother just let out a heavy sigh. He allowed his head to hang down lowly for a few moments. He eventually looked up to the sky. The sun would be setting soon and with it they would be able to see the stars. Night time here was beautiful much like it was back on their home island. It didn't feel the same though, those stars offered none of the warmth and wonder they usually did but instead held some kind of cold menace which he couldn't quite comprehend. He wanted his brother to understand. He wanted him to be angry also but when the pilot of Thunderbird 2 eventually turned back to look at him, he saw no anger behind his eyes only sadness.

In his heart, he knew his brother wouldn't see things the same way as he did. He was a calm soul. One which almost never bore a grudge. Perhaps he was a little too forgiving… Too easy to ignore trespasses against himself and make allowances for others' failures. He hated this. That much was plain to see. Unlike his younger sibling however he wouldn't get angry. He wouldn't start blaming others…

"It's not their fault." He spoke softly, his voice full of the compassion and understanding which was driving his sibling insane. "What were they supposed to do when a city of a million could be levelled in under a minute?"  
"They didn't have to come after us with guns!" The sounds of bullets from the other side of the radio echoed through his ears.  
"They don't have a choice! It's their families and loved ones or us!" Virgil raised his voice ever so slightly. "What would you do? Could you look your wife and child in the eye or someone else's for that matter and watch them be burned to ashes? I couldn't."

He didn't respond. Naturally, there was a part of him which understood everything his sibling was telling him. It felt just as much compassion for those people out there as he did. At the same time however he couldn't forget the terrified cries of alarms of his brother as he had realized he was about to be shot at followed by the whizzing of bullets. It had been close. Too close. Nobody had the right to take his family from him. It had happened once before with their father. Now it felt as if it was happening once more to the rest of them.

Eager to avoid a fight which on such a tiny island would have proven to be disastrous he opted to remain silent. It would be best for all of them if they were able to avoid being at each others' throats. Looking down at the crabs on the rocks scurrying around, he found himself longing to be back on the beaches which surrounded his home. He couldn't ever recall them feeling further away than they did right now. He found himself longing for his family. Bizarrely, he missed even aspects of their personalities which ordinarily drove him insane. He would give almost anything to have Scott nagging him about his room, Alan whining about his homework, jokes flying over John's head or Kayo's somewhat over-zealous training sessions. He wished he was back there with them sitting down on the couch as Virgil played a soft tune and they tried to come up with ways to get out of doing the cooking.

A strong hand placed itself on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. One of his big brothers was still here, he could be grateful for that much.

"C'mon Squid..." Virgil's soft voice seemed to be capable of fixing most ailments. "Lets get back to the others, it's almost diner time!"

For a moment, the younger of the brothers lingered. He could have done with some more solitude. He wasn't too sure if it would have done him any good whatsoever. In fact, it could very well have been detrimental to him. He was at that odd stage where he didn't know what to do with himself. He wished that he could have done something more with himself and been of some use but right now he didn't feel as if he could face sitting around and coming to the same old conclusion for the eightieth time. He followed his sibling regardless hoping that ultimately big brother would know best.

It was a short walk to the campsite. There were no fires, given that this was notionally an uninhabited island they couldn't afford any. All cooking had to go on undercover. At all times, someone was on the lookout in case a ship was spotted and they had to try their best to conceal their existence. Said lookout had been sitting at the highest point of the island for quite some time now. She wasn't the most patient of women and would no doubt be expecting to be relieved some time soon by someone younger and fitter. He could tell that much from the way that she kept on looking around expectantly and periodically tapped her foot. Thankfully, with darkness falling the need wouldn't be so great as they would likely be able to spot the light from any vessels out the sea with their naked eyes. At least that's what they told themselves.

Upon seeing them return, she apparently decided that there was no more need for a lookout today as she began to make her way down the hill. The youngest forced a smile as he saw her approach telling himself that if he didn't look at least somewhat happy then he was likely to have to put up with yet more speeches about how things weren't as bad as they seemed, etc. Stuff he had already heard and still didn't believe no matter how much he wanted to.

"Good to see you're both back." She greeted them once they had met up. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to manage all of diner by myself."  
"Gordon was just admiring the local sealife, weren't you squid?" He gave a half-hearted nod as a response. "How is he?"  
"Still won't stop working! I've virtually got to tear him away from those radios or whatever he'd messing around with to get him to eat and drink."  
"Well… I'll go get him." The eldest of the two brothers began to walk off. "I'll drag him away if necessary."

That left the two of them alone something which Gordon dreaded. It wasn't that he disliked the woman far from it. It was that he got the feeling that she could look right inside of him and see everything that was going on within his tormented soul. He didn't want that. He didn't need yet another person telling him that it would be alright. The least she knew about just how lost and powerless he felt right now the better. _London's gone silent…_ Those words echoed through his mind endlessly, tormenting him relentlessly. They had been the last that he had heard from the space station. How could less than five words strike such a sense of hopelessness into him?

He felt the elderly woman's gaze resting upon him but did his best to ignore it. Surely, if he paid little attention to her then she would leave him be. The way that she looked at him so soft, kind and understanding made it all the worse. Instinctively, he found himself turning away. It was impossible to maintain eye contact for him. He didn't want her kindness and sympathy. He didn't know what he wanted. She must have been able to sense that something was wrong. Virgil could. It was a fair bet that she was the same. Maybe that's why she wasn't talking. Words weren't necessary for her to bring everything that had been bubbling just under the skin to the point where they were close to spilling over.

There it was again. That urge to scream. Was he going mad?..

His defenses down further than he would have wanted, it came as a relief when his brother resurfaced along with another young man. The latter looked shocking. Somehow, he looked worse right now than he had done when they had touched down here after hours of flying around in Thunderbird 2 in a blind panic. Those dark circles under his eyes spoke of the lack of sleep. The elderly woman had been right when she'd said it was a struggle to get him to eat. They were having difficulty getting him to do anything that wasn't work. Last night, his brother had practically had to strap the genius down so as to get him to sleep. For all that, they didn't seem to be any better off than they had been upon arrival.

A robot followed carrying a collection of bowls. Even from where he was standing he could make out the smell of the food. Given that there was absolutely nothing foot related in the odor, he was going to guess that the elderly woman had nothing to do with preparing the meal. She was already sitting down in one of the collapsible chairs they had moved outside from Thunderbird 2 and which now served as their improvised dining area on the beach. They handed out the bowl of soup, sitting in a circle. When it came to his turn however, the youngest found himself suddenly without much of an appetite.

"No thanks… I'm not hungry." Naturally there were some shocked looks. He wasn't generally one to pass up food. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

No objections were raised. They bid him "goodnight" as he left into the depths of the large green Thunderbird which acted as something of a house for them. His family watched him go in silence. They exchanged a few looks which spoke more than words ever could. It wasn't surprising that he was struggling. In their own ways they all were. His brother let out a heavy sigh as he looked out to the sun setting over the horizon. Out there somewhere were the rest of his friends of family, lost and scattered. They would have to find them soon. The longer they all spent lose out there or up in the stars, the more likely it was that something went wrong.

He tried not to allow his concerns to manifest themselves in any form. Panic could and would spread quickly. They were all worried right now, it would have been a mixture of naïve and foolish to assume that anyone on the little island wasn't internally tearing themselves apart right now. They simply didn't allow it to show. Well… Not if they could help it. They kept that sort of thing inside of themselves so as not to bother the others. It was silly really given the situation but the pilot of Thunderbird 2 guessed that each of them was trying to be strong for the others. It would be easy to collapse if just one of them crumbled. It was a trick his little brother was obviously struggling to master. Turning back to the rest of his family, he declared:

"I'll give him a few minutes."  
"He's struggling..." The elderly woman statement was obvious to all. "I don't blame him. This is a lot for all of us to handle."  
"He's worried about the others." They all were. It was the one thing which had been plaguing them all since this had begun. "So am I. I mean… I know they're all good, brilliant in fact but- This is beyond anything we've ever faced before and they're probably all alone."

He was met with a silent agreement. The thought of his brothers and sister out there all alone was enough to give him nightmares. There was a large part of him which wanted nothing more than to board his ship and go out searching for them. He would go to the ends of the Earth if it meant finding them. They always came back to the same issue however: none of them had a clue where to start. The problem with lying low was that now they didn't know where the others were. It was too risky to attempt contacting them and they could very well be anywhere. That and at least two of them were in space, far out of Thunderbird 2's reach.

Feeling a familiar sense of helplessness take over him, he turned to the only person whom he felt might be able to give him some of the words of comfort and reassurance he felt that he needed right now. She wouldn't lie to him. At no point had anyone claimed that they shouldn't be worrying. They were all acutely aware of the seriousness of the situation. Still, the woman let out a sigh. She stirred the soup mindlessly for a few moments before finally declaring:

"John's never needed that much company, besides he has EOS. As for Alan, he's a smart kid. He'll know how to keep out of trouble."

Intuitively, he knew that the woman was right. John was clever and the prospect of having to spend some more time alone up there might not daunt him as much as it would have some other people. That being said, he would still be almost completely in the dark up there. It was one thing being up on the space station when he was still in contact with the rest of his family another being cut off from them all together. Hopefully, the space monitor would be able to hold it together. After all, as their grandmother had pointed out he wasn't exactly alone up there. As for their youngest brother, he was as resourceful as he was talented. He was alone though for perhaps the first time and that would scare him. All they could do was hope that he stayed brave and managed to keep himself out of harm's way.

That still left two of their number unaccounted for. The fact there seemed to be some hesitation there only confirmed his concern. It wasn't necessarily the two potentially most vulnerable people they should have been concerned for…

"Truth be told it's Scott and Kayo I worry about." The elderly woman confessed to her second eldest grandchild. "Knowing those two they'll be angry and that'll make them stupid."  
"We still don't know what happened to them." Virgil reasoned looking up to the sky as if holding onto a hope he might find a Thunderbird up there.  
"With any luck, they're keeping their heads down." She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't like the thought of either of them being alone. Right now, they need someone to cool them off and reign them in."

He nodded silently in agreement. He had been thinking the same thing. Both Kayo and Scott could be difficult in their own ways. Their older brother was impulsive and right now as their grandmother had pointed out he would probably be angry. That would make him doubly as likely to put his own life in danger. Nobody could control the head of security either. Grandma Tracy maybe had something of a chance but more often than not she did what she wanted and there was little to no talking her out of it. On a good day, their family would be able to cool them off and talk some sense to them. Right now of course that process which usually prevented them from getting themselves killed through rushing into something wasn't in place. They would have to trust their loved ones' judgement and ability to realize that this was not the time to go charging in.

In truth, that one thought terrified him. They didn't know what was going on out there. The news was so confused. There were constant conflicting accounts. The surprise good news was that they were still looking for _all_ of International Rescue. That meant in theory that they had none of them. The rest of their family may be scattered but they were still safe or at least not captured. They could count their blessings for that much.

"Maybe they're with each other." Virgil mused as he finished the last of his soup.  
"Maybe..." It was a mutter of a reply. "Hopefully..."

The genius had said nothing. He'd barely spoken to them since it had all begun other than to protest at being dragged away from his work. Even right now, he appeared to be distant simply staring blankly into space. No doubt there were complicated calculations going on in his mind all the time. They dared not disturb him. After all, the chances were that if there was going to be a solution found to their problem, he would be the one to come up with it… Getting to his feet, the second eldest brother decided that enough time had passed for him to dare to see how his sibling was doing. He didn't need to say anything, receiving a silent nod from his grandmother as he departed.

Thunderbird 2 wasn't the easiest of crafts to hide. The few large brown camouflage sheets they had thrown over it did however work surprisingly well. They deformed its shape causing it to resemble just another sand dune from afar. They could still enter through the pod door, allowing them to use the craft as a home base and shelter. Steadily and reliable, it hadn't done protecting them from the harshness of the world yet. Of course, such camouflage wouldn't work on people who knew what the island normally looked like and who would almost certainly notice the difference. Thankfully, in this isolated point of the globe passersby were few and far between. He suspected that for the most part, nobody cared about the mile long patch of sand and rocks in the ocean.

He patted the metal hull of the ship as he entered it feeling a lingering connection he couldn't explain. Letting out a sigh, he stayed there with one foot inside his Thunderbird and one still on the beach. Gathering his courage, he headed forwards knowing what needed to be done.

He found Gordon in what had become his room, that was to say Thunderbird 4. There was ample living space on board of Thunderbird 2 but apparently "that didn't feel right" for the second youngest who preferred his submarine. He could relate to that almost as much as he could understand why his brother was busy reading the news reports saved onto his craft's computer from several days ago. The picture of a certain lady and her butler came onto focus. Light brown eyes starred at the images as if he were practically longing them into life. Eventually, he swiped them away leaving space where he had managed to make the headlines along with the rest of his family.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he approached quietly. There was no need for him to draw attention to himself, his brother knew that he was there. Instead, he simply opted to stand next to him looking at the photos of their family. No words were spoken. It wasn't themselves that they found themselves focusing on but rather the missing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity his brother finally spoke in a hushed and almost trembling voice:

"I'm scared Virgil… Not for me… For them."

He said nothing causing his brother to look up at him. With a single motion of the hand, he gestured at him to stand. A moment's hesitation and uncertainty passed through the young man's eyes before he obeyed without question. Carefully, Virgil wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. He felt his sibling tense up for a moment as if an electric charge had just been passed through his body. Then bizarrely the opposite, he found himself practically struggling to hold him up as his legs practically gave way beneath him. Gordon grabbed a hold of him tightly, as if he was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Virgil closed his eyes as he felt his brother's silent tears against his chest. Another day, when nobody else was around to witness them, he could easily have shed a few himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks for all of the reviews!_**

 ** _/_**

There was no way to compare the deathly silence and emptiness of space to anything that Earth had to offer, at least not in the young pilot's opinion. Sure, Gordon rattled on sometimes about the Mariana trench but it wasn't the same. Down there there was at least gravity…

After three days of drifting alone in complete and utter silence he had come once more to appreciate just how vast the emptiness was up here. It was something which was difficult to get his head around even after all this time. There was no horizon, not an identifiable one at least. That darkness occupied by thousands of tiny little stars went on forever or at least that's what it seemed like for a human being. To say that out here he felt like an ant would be putting it mildly. The sensation seemed worse right now though. The seat next to him was empty. Instead of another person to give him at least something of a sense of scale, he was left with nothing but his massive ship and the vastness of what surrounded him. He didn't usually mind feeling tiny out here, not when there was someone else to feel tiny with. Right now though, it felt oppressive, almost crushing.

Cautiously, he altered his trajectory ever so slightly. In theory, it should have been a relatively simple manoeuvre. It was one he had done dozens of times before. Still, he found himself missing the voice on the other end of the comms telling him that he was doing well and everything was alright. A few more adjustments allowed him to fully get the space station in his sights and to locate his target. Slowly, he began his approach.

There was enough rubble and debris in this particular piece of space to cause him some concern just how such a large ship had managed to slip in here unnoticed was beyond him. Still, he was grateful that it had. It appeared to him like land for the survivors of a shipwreck drifting on a raft out at sea. He didn't need supplies. He had plenty of those given that he was alone up here. Although the maths hadn't seemed worth doing, he reckoned that he could easily last two months, three if he was careful. His own ship was well-equipped and had been designed with potentially long hauls in mind. What caused him to have to struggle with his own eagerness wasn't what was on board the space station but rather _who_.

It was ironic really but being out here by himself had in many ways reminded him of just how young he was. All those times he had nagged his family to be given more space and to be trusted for once now seemed like fond memories. What he wouldn't have given to have Scott with him, constantly supervising and worrying or Kayo, quieter but still ever vigilant. Even Gordon and Virgil, although they didn't leave the atmosphere that often would have been there ensuring that he didn't mess up or get into any trouble. He'd found them overbearing and a little patronizing at times. He wanted them back though. Preferably all of them but just one of them would have sufficed. Just someone there to have his back, to assure him that everything would be okay and to be a shoulder to lean on should he require it.

Taking a deep breath, he tried not to think back to the panic his family had been in the last time they had seen each other. He'd picked up on it easily despite their obvious attempts to hide it from him. Still, there had been no mistaking the looks of fear on their faces. They'd been eager for him to leave. They had hurried him off on his rocket ensuring that he had enough supplies to last him a while before ordering him to blast off. That was the last he had heard from them. Since then it had been a never ending silence.

As he approached the space station, he couldn't help but feel the hope rising inside of him. A smile made its way onto his face for the first time in days. He allowed himself to imagine himself stepping on board to be informed that everything way okay now and they could go back to how things were. His big brothers and sister would have sorted things out. They always did. International Rescue had a faultless record for saving people. They always won even when the odds were stacked up against them. There was no way that the others would have spent all of this time simply wandering lost. At the very least they would have a plan to put into use, hopefully one which he could now be a part of.

The large red rocket slowed to almost a crawl as it made its final approach. Usually, by this point he would have someone assuring him that he was all clear and to go ahead with docking. Right now however all he got was silence. He'd never hated his radio as much as he did right now for the simple reason that it was silent. He wanted to hear voices, needed to be told that everything was okay and he'd be with them soon.

"Here goes nothing."

He shouldn't be talking to himself. It was a bad sign. After three days of silence other than the occasional sound of laser blasting from a video game, he found that the sound of regular chatting was something that he missed. It was the sort of background noise that they were never short of on the island but that up here simply didn't exist. All he had was the humming of the engines and electrical appliances.

A small green light flickered on confirming that he had indeed docked correctly. Without waiting for another second, he unharnessed himself. With a small kick, he sent himself flying up out of his chair. He was more than used to the lack of gravity. He'd spent so much time in it, it was almost akin to swimming. Maybe one day, he would even be able to challenge his older brother to a game of space handball and win. He reached the door with relative ease, slipping out to enter the airlock. All he could do was hope that there was someone on the other side to let him in.

Those few seconds of waiting seemed interminable. It was amazing how fast the human brain could work in such a relatively short period of time, especially when it came to thinking of the worst possible scenarios. He shouldn't have been here. It went against protocol. He most definitely shouldn't have followed that brief blip of morse code's instructions, no matter how encrypted they were. They could have lead him anywhere. For all he knew, it could have been a trap. Even if this was Thunderbird 5, there was no guarantee that it wash is brother on the other side of the door. It could have been the G.D.F. or worse… He found himself holding his breath as the door began to open. Suddenly, he regretted not bringing anything with him that he could have used to defend himself. He doubted that Kayo's martial arts training, as good as it was, would be of much use to him he found himself faced with guns.

The figure of a familiar red head with green eyes caused all of his fears to vanish in an instant.

He abandoned all caution. Suddenly he felt like a frightened three year old who had been separated from their parents in a supermarket who had just been reunited with them. Pushing himself forwards, he propelled himself into his brother's arms. The impact managed to knock them both backwards. They floated weightless for a few seconds. His brother was tense. His eyes wide as he starred at the blonde teenager who had suddenly latched onto him, too surprised to react he just allowed them both to drift.

He couldn't feel the warmth of his brother, their thick spacesuits prevented such a thing. Still, he found himself receiving intense comfort from the other's presence. The teen found himself wanting to hold him tighter. He felt that his sibling could have vaporized into nothingness or that he might find himself waking up from some sort of dream to find he was imagining all of it. It wouldn't have been the first time since all this madness had started. Even when he found some way to distract himself in an attempt to ignore what had happened and to try and not think about the rest of his family stranded on Earth, he found himself constantly longing for them. Holding onto his brother for dear life as they floated weightlessly into the space station, the family's youngest closed his eyes allowing relief to wash over him easing all of the concerns and fear that he had felt. He might have cried, had it not been for the fact that he heard the young man gasp:

"Hey! Alan! I need to breathe!"

He felt his sibling put his hands on his shoulders and push slightly. It wasn't rough. Just enough to let him know that grabbing him round the waist and suffocating him like some sort of boa constrictor maybe wasn't something that he appreciated. Reluctantly, Alan allowed himself to be pried away by his older brother. The latter took a deep breath of air as soon as he was released. The blonde haired teen paid little interest however as he found himself looking back into his sibling's face. He hadn't changed. The youngest found himself wondering curiously if he had been expecting him to. It had only been three days yet it felt like an eternity to him.

It was impossible to think of what to say. His mouth hung open all whilst he maintained a huge grin. Somewhere along the line, he figured that he must have looked like an idiot. That didn't seem to matter however as he found himself reunited with his brother, well, one of them at least. As usual, his space-bound sibling was a little more distant and harder to read. He seemed to simply be starring at him for a few moments. His green eyes only blinking a couple of times. It took a moment for a gentle smile to grace his face. He reached out slowly before ruffling his sibling's hair. For once, Alan didn't complain or protest at the treatment as he usually did simply feeling too relieved to even speak or move.

He'd wanted to play it cool, act as if he hadn't been scared and had had it all under control. When faced with his brother though any notion that he had been anything other than worried sick vanished. He hadn't panicked. That much was true but he had still been scared. The fact that he was no longer alone allowed him to breathe. He wished that he could think of a way to tell his brother everything that wouldn't involve him either breaking into tears or shouting but found himself struggling to even think of the words which could possibly convey everything that he was feeling. Instead, he grabbed a hold of his sibling giving him yet another hug. This time however, he was gentle, ensuring that he didn't cut off the man's oxygen supply or break his ribs. Despite his best efforts, a few tears still brimmed behind his light blue eyes.

"John I-" Even attempting to talk with a lump in his throat like the one he had was almost impossible.  
"I understand Alan..."

His brother's words were soft and kind. It took nothing less to get a few tears flowing. This time however, a pair of long arms wrapped themselves him and pulled him in close. He cried from relief more than anything else. After three days of silence, a part of him had naturally begun to wonder and to dream up nightmare scenarios. Somehow, it was as if the presence of just one of his brothers was enough to magic away all of the demons his imagination had been able to conjure up. He was safe now. Nothing could hurt him here. It felt as if he would find the rest of his family just a little further down the hall, such was the comfort he got from those few moments in his brother's arms.

John eventually gently pushed him back. It was a rough action, simply putting a little bit of distance between them. Confused, Alan frowned slightly. A second later, he saw why as a camera began to make its way towards him. Of course, his brother wasn't alone up here. He had some somewhat unconventional company in the form of the resident AI. Given the current situation, he imagined that EOS's presence must have had more than one advantage. As always with the strange program which had somehow come to life, he found himself a little unsettled by its presence. It was hard not to forget just how they had first encountered it. Not that it seemed to bother its creator. She came over to them, turning from one to another.

"Good to have you on board Alan." He didn't know why but no matter what the circumstances, the AI always sounded almost childishly upbeat about everything. It was a mixture of weird and endearing which he couldn't quite comprehend.  
"Yeah… I never thought I'd say this but flying solo for too long sucks!" He tried to add a note of humor to conceal the state he'd been in a few moments ago. "We were having bets about how long it would take you to find us."  
"Speaking of EOS, you owe us bagels!"

The sound of yet another voice truly shocked him. It made him jump in fact. Startled, he ended up gawking at the woman making her way towards them in zero gravity. He knew her but for some reason, it seemed as if his brain was having trouble putting a name to a face. John didn't seem concerned by the newcomer. Given the size of the space station, it was hard to conceive that both he and EOS could be oblivious to the presence of another person on board Thunderbird 5. That meant that they must have let her in willingly. Surprise gave way to curiosity.

"Captain Ridley O'Bannon?!"

The woman smiled and nodded. There was a warmth and friendliness about her which managed to ease any concerns the youngest Tracy might have had. Just what she was doing on board was another matter and one which puzzled him somewhat. He thought back to the protocol and set of rules they were supposed to be following: contact no one, stay put and most importantly stay safe. Ridley was a trustworthy person as far as he knew. In truth, he didn't know her all that well. They had only met the once on board of that creepy old space station (an experience he would rather not remember or have brought up that much). Given that they had been busy trying to escape with their lives, it hadn't left much time to become acquainted. Still, given that they were used to the likes of François Lemaire and Langstrom Fischler, he'd found the captain to be a welcome change in that she both seemed to have common-sense and a cool head when in danger.

Somewhat more surprising was that John actually seemed to like her. That was a rarity. His older brother had always been somewhat… Distant when it came to others. He never needed that much company. That which he received from his family and friends (EOS included) seemed to be enough for him. Scott's attempts to get him to come back down to Earth and socialize a bit more were always met with at best indifference. For some reason, Ridley seemed to be an exception. Alan had never asked why or how it was possible. Well, he'd come close but Kayo had persuaded him not to, claiming that it would be "rude". He certainly wasn't about to ask now. Not given that there were other questions on his mind which were perhaps more pertinent:

"She was on board when this whole mess started." John seemed to read his mind.  
"Was she?"

That day everything had changed was both burned into his memory and incredibly blurry. He could remember being woken up by Gordon. His brother had seemed panicked. Scott was gone. Flown off to talk apparently. Virgil was loaded supplies onto Thunderbird 2 as quickly as possible. Thunderbird S had flown off into the distance, its pilot setting off on a mission which he hadn't quite understood. John's hologram had been there. They were moving Thunderbird 5. He too had to launch off as soon as possible. Grandma and Brains were leaving soon as well. In all of that mess, he hadn't been able to take much in. He most certainly couldn't remember hearing or seeing the captain there.

He pondered it for a few moments. Apparently a little too long, as he caught sight of his brother. John gave him a single rapid nod that left little room for debate before turning around rapidly. He started to float off in the other direction, drifting slowly past Ridley.

"Come on. There's something I want to show you!"

Once more, he allowed some hope to settle into his heart. He imagined that in the command module he would find the familiar faces of his brothers and Kayo. They would have regrouped and come up with some manner of ingenious plan just like they always did. Heck, maybe they'd already solved the problem and all that was necessary was for him to tow back Thunderbird 5 into its original position. It was a dream that he had been holding onto for a very long time now. One which he allowed himself to wish for as he followed his brother and Ridley. In truth, all he wanted to do right now was go home to his family and have a nice sleep in his bed.

Instead, he found himself confronted with an image of the globe. Across it were a series of small red dots, no doubt indicating locations. He frowned, wondering what could possibly be so special about it. Naturally, he tried to establish some sort of connection in his mind between them. They weren't cities. At least not of any size. In fact, these seemed to be scattered so much and in some cases in such isolated points of the planet that he found himself struggling to find anything which could possibly link them together. John and Ridley waited, apparently intending for him to figure it all out by himself. After a few moments, it finally clicked. He'd seen these places before, although not once had he visited any of them:

"The safe houses?" It was a question more than anything else.  
"We're trying to track down the others." John explained to his sibling flying over. "The problem is figuring out where they've gone! So we're having to narrow things down."

He listened to their logic. There were simply too many safe houses for them to try and call, especially when they were trying their best to maintain a low profile. That meant trying to work out which their family members were likely to be in and those which they almost certainly wouldn't go to. It was different depending on who they were talking about and they were acutely aware that things could easily have changed in the days since they had last seen one another. It was impossible to take all potential incidents and occurrences into account so they were just going to have to base all of their assumptions on the idea that nothing untoward had happened. It was risky but right now they didn't have much of a choice.

Thunderbird 2 could carry a lot of supplies but given its size and nature it would prove difficult to hide. That told them two things, Virgil, Grandma and Brains could survive for quite some time by themselves but would likely have to stay far away from human civilisation if they wanted to avoid detection. That meant they could rule out quite a few places. So far, they were hedging their bets on some of the isolated islands. Scott and Kayo were different. Both of their ships were smaller. The former's supplies would be relatively limited and likely not last him very long. As for Thunderbird S, its pilot would likely have little more than celeri bars on board. That lead them to assume that both of them would have to be far closer to some settlements so as to be able to fetch some supplies. If they wanted to stay discrete and off the radar, their best bet would be to stick to English speaking countries where they hopefully wouldn't stick out quite so much. Those criteria had allowed them to limit the amount of potential places they might be sheltering to about a dozen. They didn't know about Gordon, although Virgil had mentioned in his final transmission something about trying to find him, if he wasn't with the second eldest, then he would be hiding in the ocean somewhere. He could last for quite some time in its depths.

Alan listened carefully to their explanations without interrupting. It was clear that they'd spent quite some time working it out, eliminating possibilities and trying their best to reconnect the dots. They hadn't just been floating around up here waiting for things to blow over, that was for sure. Still, when faced with all of this information, the youngest only had one simple question:

"So what now?"  
"Now we try to contact the others." John answered not taking his eyes off of the planet as its hologram slowly rotated.  
"...but…" His voice was quiet, timid and almost afraid. "They'll find us, won't they? That's why we've been maintaining radio silence."

The days spent in a mixture of fear and silence weren't so quickly forgotten as he had hoped. For a little over 52 hours, he had drifted through space. He had listened to the world around him. John always complained that the airwaves were full of garbage and after being exposed for it during his period of exile from Earth, he had to agree with him. There had only been one message that he had been glad to hear and that was the one which had lead him here. He hadn't even dared answer it for fear of someone else listening in. Now that he thought about it, his older brother had taken a serious gamble by sending the signal, even if it was encrypted. It could easily have been his downfall.

Neither John nor Ridley seemed to be discouraged however by his question. That gave him some comfort. They were both smart. It wasn't impossible that they would have come up with some sort of solution to the communications problem for that was the thing which was truly getting in their way. Without each other, Alan was acutely aware of their limitations. Each of the Thunderbirds had their strengths, the vehicles as much as their respective pilots. Usually, they relied on one another to counter-balance their own failings to as to be stronger as a whole. Divided, it went without saying that that was impossible. Right now, although he had his brother with them, they remained very much impotent stranded in space as nothing more than spectators. That might just change if they could contact the rest of their family on the planet below.

"Nobody can monitor every single frequency all the time, not even the GDF." His brother informed him. "If we're quick and sneaky, they'll never know, like that message I sent to you. Right now, we're calling all of the beacons one by one for a split second. If we get an answer, we can establish a better link which EOS and I can encrypt."  
"Like ringing the doorbell!"  
"Yeah… I guess."

A smile made its way onto Alan's face as he looked at all the numerous blips on the globe. His family could be almost anywhere, that much was true and the chances of them being far apart was great. Still, the prospect of seeing their faces once more and hearing their voices again made it hard to contain his excitement. A part of him knew that he shouldn't be getting ahead of himself. There was a still a lot to be dealt with and ultimately, although he didn't want to think too much about it, there was still plenty that could go wrong.

His face fell a second later as he realized it would be a waiting game. If there was one thing he hated, it was waiting, especially at a time like this. He couldn't help but think that there were at least a hundred other things which needed doing and that he could help with. Somewhere along the line, he knew that he was being unreasonable and that right now, there was precious little that any of them could do until they were talking to the others. That didn't stop him from expressing his frustrations to his brother. He wanted to do something, anything to help. He hated feeling powerless which is what waiting around seemed to mean. He almost felt as if their lack of activity was something of a surrender.

"Why don't you go get your stuff and bring what you need on board of Thunderbird 5?" His brother suggested upon hearing the complaint.

Alan didn't protest. Anything to keep himself occupied. In practice, he wasn't too sure what he had that would be worth bringing on board the space station. He might shift some of his food supplies just so that they were easier to access given that he was probably going to be eating with his sibling and the visiting captain whilst they waited. It wouldn't be prudent to remove everything, he would leave half of their supplies on board Thunderbird 3 should they need to make a quick escape. For the time being, he imagined that he would be sleeping inside his ship. Ridley would probably be occupying the guest room after all.

As he made his way through the station, he found that he was being followed by EOS. Although she was apparently on their side now, the AI following him was still something which made him a little uneasy. Perhaps John had asked her to keep tabs on him to see if he needed any help. Given that he was going to be spending some time with her, then he figured that he had best try to get to know the strange program a little better. Wondering about some of the aspects of what he had been told and learned, it occurred to the blonde haired teen that perhaps she could clear up a few of the questions he currently had.

"Say EOS..."  
"Yes Alan?" She sounded only too eager to be of assistance.  
"Was Ridley on board?"  
"Yes. Of course."  
"Why?"  
"..." There was quite the pause from the AI. "I'm not at liberty to say."

Alan stopped and raised an eyebrow. Still, EOS didn't respond. Simply starring at him through the lense that she commanded. After a few moments, he let it slide. He might question his brother about it later...


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hey! Sorry for the delay. This one seemed to take longer for some reason. Anyway, thanks for all of the reviews!_**

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The dust and dirt accumulated on the old truck was impressive. It looked as if it had been abandoned for decades. It probably had. Years of not being used had caused filth and dust to accumulate in pretty much every single nook and cranny available. The windscreens were the worst. Even after two washes, they still remained an unpleasant muddy brown. At some point, the vehicle would likely have been dark red when it had first rolled off of the production line. Now, the paint had begun to flake and some rust was even beginning to show. No doubt the hot and dry climate of the desert had served to protect it from some of the deterioration it would otherwise have suffered. Still, it was in one sorry state. Even the chairs appeared to have been munched by some manner of creature, presumably mice.

The electrics somehow still worked. Underneath the hood, a young woman worked tirelessly in an attempt to bring the wreck back to life. She had been working on it for over four hours now. Oil and grease covered her skin. The ground was covered in a mixture of discarded tools and dirty rags. With the morning sun came the scorching heat and whilst the worst was still to come, it was still enough to cause beads of sweat to form on her forehead. She wiped them away periodically with the back of her hand when they threatened to roll down her face, not particularly caring if she ended up leaving mucky stains. Right now, all of her attention was focused on the one task at hand: getting the truck back up and working.

A young man emerged from their shelter carrying a carton full of bottles of water. He carried them over to the back of their vehicle, loading them into the open rear. He paused for a moment, contemplating the supplies they had gathered together. In the back, there was already a couple of boxes. They contained food and their first aid kit. It wasn't much but it was all they had. It was mostly hydration which concerned him. They were in for a long trip, much of which would be through one of hottest and driest deserts on earth. They would need a lot of water. He ran through his mind, wondering what else they could possibly require. They had a few tools which they would load up once his companion was done with them. He'd packed a torch and a couple of blankets for the deceptively chilly nights that the desert was prone to. In fact, they'd loaded up most of what they had. If they did come to the conclusion that there was something else they couldn't possibly do without then they would have to buy it some place.

Movement from the front of the SUV drew his attention. The young woman entered back into the driver's seat a mixture of frustration and exhaustion marked her features. Realizing what she was about to do, he took the precaution of stepping away from the back of the vehicle, more specifically its exhaust. The first time he'd been loading stuff up and she'd tried to start up the engine, he'd been on the receiving end of a cloud of soot and filth. Whilst after four days without a shower he was now at a level where he didn't particularly care – or for that matter notice – how dirty he was any more, that didn't mean that he was about to stand in front of the muck which periodically spluttered out of it.

Standing at what he deemed to be a safe distance, he watched somewhat absent-mindedly as the young woman turned the keys in the engine for at least the twelfth time that morning. The engine coughed. He could see it vibrating and desperately struggling to come back to life from where he was standing. She maintained the contact for a few seconds before pausing. It was allowed only the briefest of breaks before once more she turned the keys. This time it sounded close. Then again, that wouldn't be the first time he'd thought that since they'd started this mad enterprise and some ungodly time of the morning. So far, there had been noting but failure, disappointment and a few choice words cursed in anger and frustration from his companion. As the engine, died down once more, it looked like they were still stranded…

His eyes fell once more upon the woman. She had been up well before dawn trying to start up their method of transport. The fact that she had barely said anything only confirmed in his mind that she was becoming increasingly frustrated. He wondered what they would do if they couldn't start the SUV. They still had Kayo's bike but there wasn't enough space for both of them and it would almost certainly get noticed on a cross country trip. It had been dangerous enough for her to take it out for a supply run. It went without saying that the Thunderbirds were out of question. If nothing else, they had no way to repair his craft… That meant that the vehicle was their only real option which could problematic if it wouldn't even start.

She rested her head on the steering wheel. Desperation or just the heat? He wondered. Stepping forwards, he prepared to go and offer some assistance. He was pretty sure she wouldn't accept. If anything, suggesting that she might need some help was often a good way to irritate her. She must have seen him approach, either that or the frustration boiled over at that particular second as she brought her fist down hard against the dashboard of the car causing him to jump back. He knew better than to get in the way of Kayo when she was hitting something. Sitting up once more, she turned the keys in the ignition so hard that he feared for a moment that they might snap and break. Thankfully, they did no such thing. There was another series of splutters before suddenly, the engine roared back into life.

Scott found himself staring at both the vehicle and its driver, astonished. It was continuing to run, showing no signs of stopping. It was a lesson that apparently he needed to learn again from time to time but Kayo Kyrano wasn't someone to underestimate. She'd been schooled in basic mechanics the same way that they had, although time consuming this little fix hadn't been too challenging for her. He continued on his way over to the SUV, leaning in the passenger window. The young woman was busy checking that the clutch was working.

"Only you could scare a truck into starting." He couldn't help but comment.

"It's a talent..." Her green eyes scanned him from head to foot. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..." The answer was slow in coming betraying its lack of enthusiasm.

"Good. We leave in five."

She got out of the car and walked off. He said nothing, settling for simply watching the young woman. She went back inside to the shade. The temperature wasn't much more bearable in there but at least she wasn't directly under the burning sun. He watched as she used some of their precious water with some cleaning liquid to wash off the oil and dirt from her arms and face. Walking around covered in grime and oil would only draw yet more attention to them, something they desperately wanted to avoid. That and it couldn't have been pleasant for her. Whilst she wasn't someone who cared immensely about her image, probably less so than he did, four days without a shower would probably leave her feeling well… Dirty. He knew that it was a feeling which he now detested. The idea of a nice cool shower right now was one of the most appealing it had ever been.

Standing there in the morning desert sun, he cast his gaze up to the bright blue sky. It was going to be yet another scorching day, he could feel it coming. Despite the fact he lived on a tropical island in the southern pacific, he and his family generally had the common sense not to go out in the midday sun, at least not without sunblock (something which they unfortunately didn't have here). It also simply wasn't the same, back home they had the refreshing breeze from the ocean to cool them off and to stir the air. Here everything just felt hot to an extent where it seemed to sap the strength out of him. Shaking his head, he decided that he had better help her or at least do something given how unproductive he had been these past few days.

They covered their tracks as best as possible. It was hard for him and almost certainly her as well to seal off the hangar under the station where they had hidden their ships. There was still a feeling that this might be some kind of final farewell to the craft that they both felt connected to, almost as if it were a part of themselves. In his heart, Scott was acutely aware that this could very well be "goodbye" forever. The mission they were about to embark on was risky to say the least and in the current climate, it could very well prove fatal to both of them. Still, he had been forced to reluctantly agree that they no longer had a choice. As from the passenger seat of the SUV, he cast his gaze over the gas station they had found refuge in and came to a silent agreement with his friend's position. They couldn't stay here any longer. Sooner or later, someone was going to notice they were there and that would almost certainly alert the GDF.

He said nothing as they slowly began to drive off. This trip would be as under the radar as humanly possible. He trusted International Rescue's covert operative to keep it that way. They had almost 1800 miles to drive and not that long to do it in. Kayo reckoned they should be there by midday tomorrow if they drove through the night, later if they stopped. He wouldn't be sorry to leave the desert behind. His Thunderbird was a different story however…

Hours rolled by as they drove along. Kayo kept the windows down. She liked the feeling of the warm air lapping around her face it would seem. That and she was eager to avoid burning more energy than they had to. Petrol and diesel might have been a thing of the past but they would still have to stop to refuel from time to time. Every time they stopped, they increased the chance of getting caught on film or otherwise recognised. It was therefore imperative that they avoided luxuries such as air conditioning. He didn't find the desert air to be all that cooling, it was like sticking his hand in front of a hairdryer. It was better than nothing and at least he felt that he could breathe. His tired eyes failed to register the landscapes as they passed. It was all just sand, rocks and dirt.

A strange lethargy still had a hold over him. Kayo had put it down to the lack of sleep. She claimed he hadn't slept. That wasn't strictly true. He would nod off but only for a few moments when exhaustion left him with no other option. Those brief periods were hardly restful as he would find himself awakening with the notion that his brothers were in trouble. He knew he looked terrible. The beard which now occupied his face and messy hair simply weren't him. Usually, his family would tease him for the amount of time he spent combing himself and ensuring that he was clean shaven. Now, that as everything else seemed to have lost its importance. Sitting there, he lacked even the will to talk with his friend. Not that they had much to say. Most of their discussions over the past few days had been brief, clipped and to the point. Only the sound of the engine could be heard as they drove along. The only change from the monotonus passing of the road and countryside was the two stops they made to refuel and relieve themselves. Both were quick in and out jobs. His companion said nothing whilst paying for the fuel, no doubt fearing her accent would arose suspicion. Even the drinks they took in the car. Another day he might have brought up health and safety in so far as driving with one hand went but again, he couldn't be bothered.

His brothers haunted his every thought. He didn't know where they were, if they had escaped the island and were now on the run as he was or if they hadn't been so fortunate and he and Kayo were the last ones left. In many ways, he had been fortunate. If the young woman hadn't have been so stubborn and refused to scatter as she should have, then he would probably be dead right now and they would have his Thunderbird. She had saved him. He was acutely aware that his friend was a warrior. Whilst he might at times scold her for her ferocity and tendency to charge in, ultimately it had saved his life. She was their protector. Without her, he worried for his brothers. John was trapped in space. Virgil was too kind. Alan too young. Gordon too carefree… A thousand reasons he shouldn't have left them that day stirred round in his mind haunting them. As well as that one major mistake… That one error which had probably cost them everything...

"We're stopping."

The young woman's harsh voice cut easily through the silence of the night. Hang on, when had the sun set? It caused him to look round to see her. They pulled off of the road. He didn't have any time to question why as he found himself almost being knocked out of his seat as they tarmac was replaced by dirt. They bumped along roughly. No doubt the vehicle was a 4x4 but right now, Scott was struggling to notice it. He found himself digging his fingers into the fabric of his seat in an attempt to better anchor himself in place. Gritting his teeth, he shot his friend a glare. Sometimes, a little warning would have been nice. They came to a halt a couple of hundred yards away from the highway. Kayo was quick to cut her lights, leaving them in complete darkness.

Catching his breath, the young man looked around him. He had been so lost in his own thoughts for so long that the shameful realisation that he didn't know where they were came to him. The desert had changed slightly but there was still an awful lot of nothing surrounding them. He trusted Kayo's navigating. It was more the fact that he hadn't bothered paying enough attention to where they were going that bugged him. The darkness was complete. He literally couldn't see a single thing. Blinking a few times, his eyes struggled to adapt themselves to the lack of light. Instinctively, he found himself looking around for something, anything which could give him some kind of point to focus on and get his bearings. Be it the space right in front of him where he knew the dashboard should be or out the window into the desert, he still found himself to be as blind as a bat. Turning to his companion, he finally was able to make out something against the night which now surrounded them, even if it was the whites of her eyes.

"Where are we?" His voice was quiet and groggy, maybe he could fool her into thinking he'd been asleep.

"South Dakota." Came the flat and simplistic reply.

He was sure he'd been here on a rescue or two in the past. It was more of a question about whether there was a place on Earth International Rescue hadn't been called to than places they had. Still, without his Thunderbird or his brothers, out here in the middle of nowhere, he found himself feeling exposed. Frowning slightly, he wondered why they had stopped here. They were still a good few hours away from their ultimate destination and in their current predicament every second countered. He waited for a few moments for the driver to explain herself. Currently, she was taking a couple of swigs of water. Kayo spent the next minute and a half looking at the map and checking the time on her communicator periodically. After that, she put both down before stretching. It was only when the young woman made for the door that he decided to ask:

"Why have we stopped?"

"Because it's 3.20a.m and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours."

It was an irritated statement. As soon as she explained herself, he realized he had put his foot in it. Of course she would be tired. This wasn't a Thunderbird where if the need arose they could put it on autopilot or ask John to take over for a bit whilst they rested. As resilient as the young woman was, all that time without the opportunity to close her eyes for a bit would no doubt have cost her in terms of judgement and reaction times: in short, driving would be becoming dangerous. Scott knew his friend well enough to leave a few seconds break to avoid her snapping again. She could be bad enough on the best of days, let alone when sleep deprived. He waited until she had settled down and was going to try exiting the vehicle before undoing his belt and offering:

"I'll take over..." He offered undoing his belt.  
"You will not!"

Her thunderous voice left little room for debate. To enforce her statement, she slammed her right hand back down on the dashboard, physically blocking his access to the driving seat. He backed off a little. Startled initially, he simply starred without understanding. There was a fiery look in her eyes which he couldn't miss despite the darkness. It was as if somehow as second dose of life had found its way into her and now stopping him from getting anywhere near the driving seat was more important than the sleep she was longing for.

He frowned, realizing in a second what she was getting angry about. It was the same old argument they had been having for a few days now. Looking straight into her eyes accepting the challenge. Teeth clenched, he tried to ignore the weight of the past few days which seemed to be holding him back and slowing him down. Kayo wasn't an adversary to be taken lightly. It was something best done wide awake not feeling the effects of four days of exile. Ordinarily, he might have registered his current exhausted state and yielded. Instead, driven by irritation brought on by a lack of sleep and the pent up frustration caused by his own powerlessness. As sluggish as his brain was, he managed to snap back:

"I can look after myself Kayo!"

"All evidence to the contrary!" The young woman pulled the keys out of the ignition before pointing them at the bandages on his forearm. "Take a look in the mirror Scott and tell me that you can drive this car!"

"I can drive it..." He growled under his breath.

"Then come take the keys..."

She was dangling them only a couple of inches in front of his nose, a clear challenge. Scott focused on them for a few seconds. He was acutely aware that he had no chance. Even on the best of days, it was a nightmare trying to spar with the covert operative. They had learned long ago that it was fruitless trying to steal the television remote from her. The hostile looks were maintained even although both of them already knew what the outcome of the situation was going to be. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest, anger threatened to drown out all of his common sense for a moment. Asides from that, all was deathly silent. It felt like for those few moments time itself had come to a stop. Finally, he conceded defeat by lowering his gaze fixing the floor of the car instead.

The door was opened and the young woman left. Still, the man didn't raise his gaze. He felt lost. None of this was right. For the first time, the chill of the night registered with him. It was amazing how much the desert temperatures could vary between the scorching day and the nights which could be decidedly cold. Half sitting, half kneeling on the chair wearing only a tee-shirt, some jeans and a pair of trainers which had seen better days, he found the hairs on his arms begin to rise as goosebumps slowly began to form on his skin. Still he didn't move in an attempt to try and keep himself warm, simply starring at the same part of the car.

This was all wrong. He was wrong. He shouldn't be treating her like this.

Something heavy was thrown over him. He reacted by grabbing hold of it afraid that it might fall. The object in question was a blanket which had been retrieved from the back of the truck, it was a little rough and coarse for his liking but it was all that they had been able to find. He turned to face Kayo standing hunched over in the back of the truck. There was still enough anger behind her green eyes to convince him that staying quiet was probably the best course of action. No point in stirring the hornets' nest any more than it already had been. She said nothing, not even waiting for a "thank you" or any other form of recognition. There could be no mistaking the look that she gave him. No words were exchanged between them. Scott settled back into the passenger's seat he had been occupying for the best part of a day now. His back was a little too stiff to care any more about whether or not he was comfortable. He pulled the blanket up so that it covered his body. He starred out of the windscreen into the darkness of the desert and the nothingness which seemed to be out there whilst his friend behind him made herself comfortable.

Kayo slept curled up in a ball in the back of the truck. The sound of his friend's soft breathing was soothing, almost enough to lull him off to sleep. As always though, something prevented him from closing his eyelids. She was one of those people who seemed to always be able to make do. It didn't matter what it was: food, lack of equipment, sleep… Granted there was no beating his youngest sibling as far as sleeping in odd places was concerned. Just where he persisted in falling asleep on the floor even although his bed was literally two feet away was a mystery which he was convinced he would never be able to solve. The thought brought a sad smile to his face. He closed his eyes briefly as the faces of his smiling and laughing brothers came back to him. Their absence was painful, almost literally. Every time he tried to fall asleep, he found himself reminded of the fact that they weren't there with him and at least some of that was his fault. Every second it felt as if they were slipping ever further away, maybe forever.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he tried to think clearly but found himself unable to do so. This was all so confused and wrong. Even right now, he was struggling to grasp how it could all have gone so wrong so quickly. This fool's mission they were on wasn't going to yield any results. He already knew what was going to happen. They would be sent packing with their tails between their legs. If they were lucky. They could just as easily be about to hand themselves over to their new jailer…

Behind him, Kayo stirred. She was groaning slightly in some form of discomfort. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed her shivering. The blanket which should have been covering her had been knocked onto the floor. He guessed she must have unintentionally shed it by shifting around. It didn't really matter all that much how it had happened. A soft and compassionate smile crept onto his face and he leaned back and picked up the blanket from the floor. Carefully, he put it back on top of the young woman. Usually, Kayo was a very light sleeper. The fact that she hadn't just woken up spoke of just how exhausted she must have been. Gently, he pulled the blanket over the top of her. Her restlessness died down a few moments afterwards and she went back to sleeping soundly. He envied her for that.

Kayo's alarm sounded at half five. The sun wasn't up yet but it wouldn't be long before it had risen. She wanted to be on the road before then. Scott said nothing, not even asking her if she had slept well. He knew what the answer would be. If nothing else, he wanted to avoid having to confess that he had only managed to get about twenty minutes sleep. She didn't seem interested, no doubt able to guess that he still hadn't managed to close his eyes for any length of time. That suited him well enough, he had had about enough of being told off by her for one thing or another. The silence, whilst it remained awkward and somewhat unpleasant, was infinitely preferable to arguing with one another.

Looking out of his window, he found himself watching mindlessly as the countryside rolled past. Time was a blur. Every second felt both endless and fleeting. The former because he felt that whilst they spent their days driving around the place, his brothers could be very easily slipping ever closer to being either captured or killed. The latter because they simply didn't seem to have enough time. Letting out a heavy sigh, the young man closed his eyes. There was little out there to distract him or even particularly capture his attention. At least this way, he might be able to fool his companion into thinking that he was actually asleep. Taking the opportunity to rest his sore eyes, he let his other senses take over. The air smelt different here than it did back on the island, he couldn't quite place it. It was strange but it wasn't the sort of thing he tended to take much note of when on missions, probably because he didn't have the time.

The air eventually drew a little cooler and the climate more forgiving. Initially, he took very little notice of it. Even if he wasn't quite asleep, there was something at least somewhat restful about being able to close his eyes and try to block out the world around him, even if he didn't quite succeed. It was finally the sound of other vehicles on the road which caused him to sit back up and open his eyes. During most of their trip, they had encountered virtually nobody else on the roads. They had been grateful for it. Now however, traffic seemed to be on the roads once more. A sure sign they were getting closer to civilisation. He strained his neck as soon as a road sign became visible. He managed to recognise a few of the town names, they were almost there.

It was 4.52pm when Kayo finally stopped the car. She did so in the outskirts of a small town. They must have been about two miles away from where they had to be. He wasn't about to protest however. His legs practically buckled when he attempted to stand up as he left the car. That was way too much time to spend in a tin can. His muscles and bones creaked and groaned as he stretched, complaining about be so suddenly asked to bear his weight again. He winced trying his best to ignore the pain. No doubt he would be stiff tomorrow.

"Think you can handle a walk?" There was some genuine concern behind Kayo's question.

"Yeah..." His smile was faint but hopefully enough to convince her. They didn't have enough time to start looking for alternatives.

To his relief, she didn't push the matter any further. Instead, she simply began to walk. In silence, he followed her. This was a small town, the presence of strangers would be noticed. That meant that they couldn't afford to stay for long. A brisk walk would be required. He let Kayo lead. His attention was occupied by his surroundings. They were familiar to him. This small town didn't seem to have changed all that much since he had last set foot in it, a very long time ago. He wasn't entirely sure if all of his brothers had even been born yet. He could remember the old water tower though. It had fascinated him as a child. Looking at the old rusting metal structure now, he only saw a health and safety risk, something which could potentially fall down and crush a passing car. Still, a nostalgic smile managed to creep up onto his face as they passed by it. His friend picked up on it, he caught a glimpse of her yellow-green orbs resting on him for a second. She didn't question him about it however, turning away and continuing to walk as if she hadn't noticed his slight change in demeanour.

The house in Minnesota was about a mile out of town. It was surrounded by woodlands, sheltering it from the outside land. _Careful Scotty… There are bears out there._ His mother's playfully cautious words came back to him as he listened to the sound of the birds in the trees and glanced around. There almost certainly were some big creatures living out here and it was one of the scariest that they were about to pay a visit to. They didn't follow the path. Kayo preferred that they didn't take the most obvious path where anyone could see them coming. She wanted to sneak up and make sure the coast was clear first. He couldn't fault her logic. The pilot of Thunderbird 1 stepped up slightly, remembering the garden and surrounding woods he'd once played in, he guided her around to the back down.

The building was relatively small, a bungalow in fact. It was a relatively old building with blue wooden panels and a slate roof. Separated by a few years was another smaller building which acted as a garage. The house itself was clean but not immaculate. It was clear that whilst it's occupant took care of it, they still wanted it to maintain something of a rustic charm. The flower beds looked a lot better now that a handful of Tracy boys hadn't trampled through them in a good few years. He remembered his father telling him how much care his friend took of her rose garden and he'd gone and wrecked it playing super spy with Virgil and John. It was difficult for him to look at the building without suffering from a serious bout of nostalgia attacks. Right now, crouched down in some bushes with Kayo right next to him observing the place with a pair of binoculars, he was aware that he needed to stay focused on the present.

"Looks all clear." It had taken ten minutes of careful observation for her to come to that conclusion.

"There's a camera by the porch door and one by the veranda." Those days pulling silly faces into the CCTV with his brothers came back to him.

"I see them." Slowly, she got to her feet. "You stay here. I'll deal with the security. Wait for my signal..."

He watched as she darted over to the house. She moved quickly and silently in a way which he could only envy. It was as if she was able to walk on air or blend into the shadows. He held his breath. Naturally, she was able to unplug the camera with remarkable ease. The door would pose more of a problem. Whilst it was notionally just a normal lock, there would almost certainly a silent alarm. One which if triggered would prove disastrous for them. She would be careful, keeping in mind everything which was hanging in the balance. He watched from afar. They didn't have all the supplies that she would ideally have needed. If they did, they could simply have had either John or Brains hack the door. Unfortunately, they found themselves alone. The covert operative was doing things the old fashioned way. Parker would have been handy to have around. Sadly, both he and Lady Penelope were still unaccounted for.

A thumbs up. He breathed a sigh of relief. His friend waited for him. It was difficult not to slow down as he found himself thinking back to his childhood and the times he had visited. Sadly, right now he couldn't afford the luxury of fond reminiscing. He joined Kayo on the veranda door. Giving her a nod to say that she could go ahead, he followed her inside.

Inside hadn't changed at all since his last visit. He'd stood here as a child. He could remember looking out the veranda early at the lake, wondering if his father would take him fishing like he promised. It was the same square wooden table with a vase of freshly picked flowers in its centre. Heck, it could even have been the same flowers! The living room had an attached kitchen. He could remember the woman cooking there whilst the rest of them sat in the couch and armchairs and chatted. The house's occupant liked things clean and orderly, she seemed to own very little. Only a few trinkets and pictures hung. On a wall, was a frame displaying a large selection of medals. Kayo entered quietly, looking around with interest. This was her first time here as far as he was aware. He watched somewhat mindlessly as she made her way around. Maybe nosing or perhaps looking for more security systems which she might have missed. Finally, her gaze turned to fix him:

"She live alone?"

He nodded a couple of times. Although it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know for certain. As far as he was aware she wasn't married. That didn't mean that she didn't have a partner of one form or another. By the looks of things though, this was a one woman house. It had better be. They were taking enough of a gamble as it was. Naturally they had been forced to make assumptions. One of those had been that there was only one person living here. If so much as a neighbour passed-by then they would be in trouble. Naturally that left them a little tense. Kayo took care to close the door. They would have to avoid the windows and any other places from which they could possibly be seen in order to conceal their presence.

He found himself immersed in his memories. Given the current situation, he found that it wasn't such a bad place to be. He allowed himself to recall the days when his mother and father had been with him. Back then, as he recalled it, everything had always seemed so simple. He hadn't had to worry about much. His parents had always been there to guide and protect him. Had they still been with him, no doubt they wouldn't be in the mess in the first place. His father would have seen this coming a mile off and put it right. A sad smile appeared on his face as he spotted a picture of the young Jeff Tracy. He'd seen it before, many times. It was in his father's room on the island, a part of his home he seldom visited any more.

It was by pure chance that he spotted the covert operative at the computer. He hadn't even noticed her sit down. For a moment, he couldn't stare at her. His eyes travelled over to the screen she was staring at. In a matter of minutes presumably - he refused to believe that he could have been distracted any longer than that – she had been able to hack into the network and was busy trawling through secure files. For a moment, he simply stared a mixture of impressed and appalled. She either hadn't picked up on the fact that her snooping had been discovered or simply didn't care, as he showed absolutely no signs of reacting. Knowing her, he found the latter a little easier to believe.

"Kayo!"

"What?" The head of security looked over her shoulder at him as innocently as could be. "She won't be back for hours! I'm seeing if I can get any leads!"

Scott opened his mouth ready to argue. They should be respecting her privacy. He turned back to look at just what the young woman was busy searching through. He wasn't entirely sure if it was simply files on the computer or if she was actually using the restricted access which the computer's owner would have. He didn't understand hacking that much. It was the sort of thing he preferred to leave to John, Kayo and Brains. Whatever the case, there was no denying that it was an infringement on another's property and identity, even if it was in the form of ones and zeros. It was the sort of thing he knew the young woman didn't care that much about, at least not at times like this. Usually, he would scold her. Try and get her to stop snooping around. At the very least lecture her disapprovingly because she almost never did what he said if she didn't want to.

Then it hit him that these were hardly normal circumstances and that they had just broken into the house. He closed his mouth. Without saying another word, he came to stand next to her. He placed his hand on the back of the chair, peering over his friend to see just what she was looking at and trying to make sense of it all. His interest was taken as an approval as Kayo turned back to the screen, paying little more attention to him. There was too much here to take in. No doubt she was just looking for keywords relating to subjects which would be of use to them. The fact that she hadn't called him over seemed to indicate that she hadn't been able to find anything of any interest. Still, he asked:

"Find anything?"

"He's having his air mechas pick up two crates of iridium from a GDF base on the Canadian border but asides from that he's a ghost." She let out a sigh leaning back in the chair. "I suppose the good news is that they most definitely don't have any of the others captive. In fact, I don't think that they even know where to start looking."

Scott smiled but said nothing. Instead, he simply placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed slightly. Her green eyes flickered up away from the screen to see him. He didn't even try to read what lay behind them. Leaving her a moment later in order to go and sit back down on the couch. She remained staring at him from the chair. He paid little attention to her. Joining his hands together and allowing his head to hang low for a second. His family were safe. He could allow himself to breathe a little easier than he had been these past few days. There was still a weight there however, always bearing down on top of him. Still, he didn't know where they were. Scattered no doubt, as protocol dictated and in the back of the mind that could never truly equate to safe.

He heard his friend get up from her chair after a while. She made her way slowly over to the mantelpiece. Her attention travelled over the couple of photographs. The young woman's attention seemed drawn to one in particular. She frowned slightly. A slight smile made its way onto her face however. The young man watched through sore and disinterested eyes. His head had gone back to feeling like it had been hit by a brick again.

"She's got one of you guys when you were young."  
"Hm?"

A part of him knew what she was referring to: the photo of his family pre-Alan that had been taken here one summer. He remembered the trip quite well. He'd spent most of it charging around in the woods with his brothers. The thought was enough to cause him to turn away once more. He closed his eyes as the memories came flooding back to him. They'd asked him to look out for his siblings. He wast the eldest, the one supposed to be in charge and to protect the others. Just seeing their faces was enough to remind him of their absence and how he had failed. This all wouldn't be so bad if they were all here with him. A shadow was cast over him, causing him to look up. Those yellow-green eyes were fixing him with a mixture of pain and compassion which he had trouble not shying away from.

She knelt down in front of him so as to be on the same level. He simply stared back as if all the strength he had left had been taken from him. He couldn't even move. She contemplated him in silence for a few moments before pulling away.

"Please try to sleep… For me."

She disappeared from his view a second later. He stayed sitting, passing the time by daydreaming, something he had become rather proficient at these past few days. He wished that he could do as she wished. It wasn't as if he didn't feel tired. In many ways, it actually felt as if he was already asleep. This was all some form of strange nightmare which he couldn't awaken from. Every waking moment was one which he spent powerless. They were simply being dragged along by events and were unable to stop them. It didn't even feel like they were making any progress. Sure, they now knew that none of his brothers were captive but that still didn't get them anywhere. His siblings were still scattered and they had no way of locating them. Even if they did, then what? They might be together but they would still be on the run. He tugged at his hair, feeling the hopelessness of the situation once more. It would have been nice to know what to do and to be certain that it was the right thing. Although deep down, he knew that if they were here it was because they had no plan, nowhere else to turn.

For some reason, the pilot of Thunderbird 1 found himself turning back to the photos on the mantelpiece. Once more, it was the large family which drew all of his attention. This time however, it was the figure of the eldest of the brothers which he focused on. A huge grin occupied his face. It would be a welcome release to be able to travel back to those days, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Right now, they felt so far away that it almost seemed seemed like they had never happened at all. Turning his head slightly, the young man faced himself in the mirror. The boy was gone. Even his eyes seemed duller. In many ways, he could scarcely recognise himself. He could only imagine what his parents would say if they saw him right now. Haggard, drawn and unkept, he could understand why Kayo was on his back so much...

The sound of keys in the door caused him to jump. He got to his feet quickly. Instinctively, his gaze searched for his friend. She had vanished. No doubt she wouldn't be far. The head of security never was. The chances were that she was simply sticking to the shadows and would show herself when she deemed it necessary.

A middle-aged woman entered the house. She closed the door behind her. It was when she turned around that she spotted him. She stopped dead. The color drained from her face in a matter of seconds. Wide eyes spoke of shock. At least they knew that they had been discrete enough to avoid her detection, that probably meant that nobody else had noticed their presence either. Silence hung heavily in the air. He could hear his heart thump loudly in his chest. He was acutely aware that the woman was armed. Even with the shadow he had just spotted in the corner behind the new arrival and which he was relying on right now for protection, it would only take a split second and one bullet for him to be dead. For now, shock seemed to dominate everything, removing even her ability to speak.

Finally, her expression hardened. She gave him a cold glare which made no attempt to hide her disapproval. Scott forced himself not to look away. It was important to appear to be in at least some degree of control of the situation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?! I could have shot you!"  
"I have backup."

He nodded behind the woman who turned to see Kayo. His best guess was that the covert operative unlike him had had her guard up and heard a car approach. She had then done what she did best and disappeared. With no more reason to hide, his friend stepped out to reveal herself fully. She seemed very calm, standing there with her arms folded across her chest. Incomprehension passed over the woman's features as she returned to simply gawking at International Rescue's head of security. She got over her surprise a lot faster this time however and the anger returned. Strangely however, it no longer appeared to be focused on him.

"Oh for the love of-! I hoped you would have had more common sense than that! You realize the whole of the GDF is hunting you down! The entire world is! I could turn you over in an instant!"

"Regardless colonel." Kayo's voice was curt and harsh. "We're here now."

Casey's look spoke for itself. She was not best pleased. There were few people of the planet who could receive such a glare and not shy away from it. Kayo was one of them. If anything, she seemed to view it as something of a challenge, giving the older woman one of her own. Scott's eyes flickered between the two of them. It would be best for them to explain themselves sooner rather than later. Although no doubt, she would have a clue as to why they would turn up on their doorstep. She'd knew them well enough and she wasn't stupid. Letting out a sigh, he stepped forwards.

"I'm sorry colonel." Feeling awkward, he rubbed the back of his neck. "But we're running out of options."

"Out of options?! I was there when Jeff came up with the protocol! You two should lying low! International Rescue is compromised!"

Scott knew that. He knew that Kayo did as well. International Rescue hadn't come to be over night. It was the fruit of years, decades even of work. It wasn't just the machines. It had taken logistics and planning everything down to the last digit to ensure their safety and that everything would run smoothly. Part of that, he'd said, was knowing when to run. They should have been safe on Tracy Island but it has been his eldest son's recent decision to call the GDF to the island which had cost them that sanctuary. It didn't matter, there were others, scattered across the globe. They should use those as their bases from now on. Assume that the world's organisations weren't going to help, that was if they weren't actually hostile. In short, the Thunderbirds would have to be grounded. They couldn't trust anyone other than themselves. His father had repeated that point again and again. In theory, they shouldn't even be here with colonel Casey. It wasn't that Jeff didn't trust his old friend so much as he knew the responsibility which she had and the fact that like it or not, she did have to answer to others would be less sympathetic to their cause.

Perhaps if Jeff were still with them he would have done something else. Scott hoped that he would have. This course of action seemed desperate to him. An act of last resort… The main issue he suspected was that for all the planning, the idea of being cut off from the rest of their family potentially for a very long time. Neither he nor Kayo were the types to sit around and do nothing. That left them looking for options. This was the only place they had been able to think of where they might find some. That meant that they couldn't give up so easily. Taking a deep breath, the eldest of the brothers tried to argue:

"With all due respect colonel, dad didn't exactly have a laser in space capable of levelling cities in mind when he thought all this up."

"No! He had the safety of his five sons and you, Kayo, to think about! Right now young man, this seems like a pretty ungrateful way of repaying him!"

Next to him, his friend clenched her teeth. He saw the anger pass over her features. Moving quickly, he grabbed her forearm. Her head snapped around to look at him. Her eyes were wide, lacking understanding. In a way, he wasn't all that surprised. Kayo hated being scolded, he didn't know anyone who enjoyed it but she seemed to struggle with being criticized (especially by him). It was something which she also extended to her immediate family members, seeing it more often than not as an attack. Usually he was grateful. The young woman was intimidating enough to cause most of those who incurred her wrath to quickly back down. This was colonel Casey however and if there was one person on the planet whom Scott had his doubts about the head of security taking on, it was her. True, the pilot of Thunderbird S was younger and probably fitter but he knew that the older woman remained very dangerous, all those years had made her a fearsome opponent and probably a good match for even the covert operative. In short, he wanted to ensure that they didn't fight. Shaking his head slowly, he gave his friend the message to stand down:

"It's okay..." His words spoken softly somehow managed to calm her slightly, it didn't prevent her from pulling away from him roughly and shooting him a brief glare. He tried his best to ignore her as he turned back to the colonel. "Look… We came here because we need help. We don't know where any of the others are and there's no way we can track down the Mechanic by ourselves, let alone stop him."

"Stop the Mechanic? You honestly think you can do that? How many lives will he have time to take in the meantime? I can tell you one thing: he isn't going to come quietly. You think we're doing this because we want to?" Casey paused catching her breath as her eyes darted between the two intruders. "Coming here was pretty much the most reckless and stupid thing I've ever known either of you to do and that's saying something! If you continue the way you're going one of you is going to get killed! Probably both!"

That was a fact that Scott was acutely aware of. He found his fingers drifting up to the wound on his left arm he had sustained during his last fateful encounter with the GDF. It was still painful enough to make him regret the subconscious action but no longer enough to almost drive him to his knees with pain. He had made the mistake once of assuming that they wouldn't actually shoot. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of Kayo and Thunderbird S and her absolute refusal to obey anything even resembling and order, he could very well have ended up meeting his end then and there. For once, he had been glad that she hadn't done as she was told.

Ultimately, her presence had saved her life as well as given him some much needed company. He wasn't too sure how he would have coped by himself, injuries aside. As they stood there in the living room of his father's best friend's house, he found himself feeling increasingly lost and desperate. By no means, had the young man been expecting a warm welcome but this level of hostility wasn't something he had planned on. He briefly gave Kayo a glance, she looked equally putt off although perhaps more in an angry way than he was. Letting out a sigh, he tried once more to get the point of their visit across:

"Look… We're just looking for a lead, some advice, anything!"

"You want my advice? Start a new life. You have the funds. Get some fake I.D.s and start afresh. You can have proper jobs, a house, hell get married and have kids! Forget about International Rescue! Live normal lives! The world will continue on the way it did before Jeff set it up."

Letting out a sigh, Scott shook his head negatively. They couldn't do that. She must have known that. Instantly, his mind flashed back to the images of his brothers. They were out there somewhere. Her suggestion could very well mean that he would never see them again. Worse, he would never know what had become of them. He knew that he wouldn't be able to live like that. Heck, he was struggling enough as it was and that was after only a few days. The idea of having to live the rest of his life like that was enough to make him angry. Right now, that anger just mixed with the rest of the mess of what was going inside of head adding to the confusion. Colonel Casey should have been able to understand. Surely, she knew what was going on out there...

"Under the Mechanic's rule!" Desperation marked his voice as he pleaded with his father's old friend.

It was the colonel's turn to sigh. The woman took a few steps away from the door she had been standing next to since coming in. Instead, she made her way over to the granite counter of the kitchen work surface. In a flash, her demeanour had changed. The anger had vanished replaced with an obvious look of sorrow. For one of the first times since Scott had known her, he found that the woman looked just about as lost as they were. Usually, she reminded him of his father, in more ways than one. Both shared a steely determination and hardness which not only inspired those around them but also gave them the confidence to keep on going. Maybe that had been what he had been hoping for in coming here: to be told not to give up and to continue fighting for as long as they could, not the opposite.

An uncomfortable silence settled in. He turned to Kayo, interested to see how she was reacting to all of this. As always, it was quite hard to read the young woman. Thankfully, the anger seemed to have dissipated there as well. For some reason, he almost felt like apologizing then and there. They should be leaving. The sun would be setting soon. It would be best if they made it back to the truck and were on the road before darkness fell. Before he could say anything however the colonel spoke once more:

"I know you won't listen…" The woman sat down at the counter, starring blankly at the granite. "But I don't want to be responsible for putting any of you in a box or worse… Being the one who has to put a bullet between your eyes because _our lord and master_ demands it!"

She almost spat out the last part. He couldn't recall hearing the colonel quite so emotional before. For a moment, he tried to put himself in her shoes. Granted, he might not have had access to all of the information which she did but he could still try to imagine what it must have been like for her. If there was any position on the planet which might have been less enviable than their own, it was that of the colonel. She was their friend and yet was under orders to hunt them down. If she refused, well they all knew how easily death could rain down from the heavens now, eradicating cities in a matter of minutes. Casey sat in her chair with her head in her hands yet said nothing. In a way, that simple action was sparing their lives. Some would have already been on the phone or at least tried to find a way to let the authorities know they were here. They shouldn't have come… She could help them, their presence was just a reminder of that. One which she didn't need right now.

Kayo placed her hand on his shoulder. Turning to her, he nodded slowly, reading in between the lines. Some things didn't need to be said. He understood: time to go.

Silently, they turned away and headed back for the door. It had been a wasted journey. Worse, one which had brought only more pain. Each step he took felt like another defeat. They had learned nothing. They had endangered themselves needlessly and potentially put one of his father's friends in danger as well. If any of Casey's superiors discovered their presence she would be for it. He didn't know what the penalty would be but given the current situation, he wouldn't have put it past them to court-martial her. He closed his eyes, his father would have been ashamed at him. That one thought haunted him as Kayo opened the door. They would have to think of something else when they got back to the car. First off, they would have to put some distance between themselves and this place.

"Wait!"

Hearing the cry caused him to spin around on his heels. Casey hadn't moved from her seat. She hadn't even turned to face them. For a moment, Scott found himself wondering if he might have imagined it. The fact that Kayo was also staring however told him that it had happened. Confused, he frowned as he waited for something of an explanation from the woman. She let out a sigh, shaking her head as if she couldn't quite believe what she was about to do. Quietly, the woman got to her feet before facing them. Strangely, there was a soft smile on her face for some reason. Given how she had been acting moments before, it was enough to confuse him.

"I take it that you two don't haven't got anything planned for diner?"

For the first time in a while, he found himself smiling. It had been a while since he had been treated to one of Casey's spicy stews. He remembered them from his childhood, the taste hadn't changed. They hadn't been eating enough recently. Perhaps not to the extent where they would be starving but still enough to leave him not quite full. When faced with a good wholesome food, he found himself helping himself to thirds under the amused looks of the colonel and Kayo who for all of her teasing had seconds. They didn't speak much, for fear of brining up the elephant in the room or should that be the laser in space? The few things they did talk about were innocuous. She offered them the chance to have a shower. For the young woman, she even offered to see if they might be able to find some of her old clothes to fit her.

A warm shower did him some good, although he would have liked a change of clothes himself. Coming out of the bathroom, he felt some of the most exhausted he had in a while. They could spend the night. That was it, the colonel had been rather clear as far as that had been concerned. They couldn't stay here for long but for one night, they could enjoy the safety of four walls and the knowledge that nobody was going to come looking for them in her home. Kayo was lying on the couch, already half asleep as he settled down in some blankets on the floor. He had enough time to mutter a "thanks" to the woman. Lying there, he found his gaze travelling back to the image of his family. He found himself losing himself in their faces and the memories which they brought back. For the first time in a long time, sleep came to him.

Casey watched in silence as the two slept. Both were out cold. She let out a sigh. They were too young for all of this. She tried to imagine herself telling the boy's father how some of her men had shot his eldest. He would have been furious. Tired brown eyes fell upon the picture of a young family in days before any of this was even a vague possibility. Turning away, she headed to her bed, unsure if she would find any rest there. She couldn't bear to look at them any longer.

"I'm sorry..." She muttered hoping that somehow her old friend could hear.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's note: Here's chapter 5. Thanks again for all the reviews, they mean a lot. Someone asked me what the respective characters ages are. Honestly, I have no idea. I don't think it's ever been said on the show or anything (has it?). I'm just going to guess and say Scott, Virgil, John, Gordon and Kayo (probably closer to John and Virgil in ages terms in my opinion) are in the late-teens early to mid twenties range and Alan is 14-15? For the purposes of this story, that's what I'm working with at least. Thanks again for staying with this.**_

 _ **/**_

The sun would be setting soon. The sky was turning that warm red which it always did as night began to fall. Still, the temperature remained pleasant. A gentle and warm breeze stirred the air. The sound of waves washing against the rocks was calming. It was a paradise in every sense of the word. The beauty of the island was rivalled only by its tranquillity and the feeling of safety it offered. Looking out into the blue expanse, it almost felt as if they were alone in the world. Strangely, that thought was comforting. Nobody could reach them here. Nobody would even try. This was their home, their castle, their sanctuary…

The stars would be out soon and he would be able to stand here and watch all of them. With little to no other sources of light to pollute the darkness of the sky, night time here could be magnificent. Especially when he had someone to share it with.

The sound of idle chatting drew his attention. He turned back to look inside the lounge. His family were all gathered around in their usual places. They spotted him. His brother signalled him to come in. It took little more for him to oblige. He stopped as he entered the room finding himself faced with his loved ones. It felt like forever since he had last been here and yet no time at all. This was the way it always was and always should have been. Standing there, everything felt _right_. Any doubts and fears that he might have had vanished in a matter of moments. All that it took was for them to all be here with him and the events of the past few days seemed to never have happened. It was all just some terrible nightmare, his brain had concocted no doubt as a result of one of Grandma's infamous cheese soufflés.

The soft and gentle symphony of the piano as Virgil played a slow but upbeat tune. Brains was sitting in one of the chairs, fiddling around with one of his inventions, it looked like an upgrade to Gordon's boots. Speaking of, he was drying his hair off after a workout in the pool, telling some sort of joke which had earned a groan from Grandma. The woman had a tray full of perfectly burned cookies which she was offering round to a very reluctant Scott. The eldest of the brothers politely refused as he tried to concentrate on some diagram whilst sitting behind their father's desk. John's hologram was floating there, he was talking to Kayo. The chief of security laughed softly as she listened to him complain about some of EOS' most recent antics.

The scene could have belonged to most days on their island. Usually, just after a rescue, before everyone went to bed they would relax in each other's company. It didn't take much, just a few words, the odd smile… It was enough to know that everything was all right with the world. The others were always there if comfort was needed. They knew whenever something was wrong and would be able to ease him without fail. Even right now, they were giving him the kindest and warmest smiles as they saw him. They would keep him safe. They would guide him. They would always be here for him.

Standing there, he just wanted to sit there and feel secure in their presence.

There was someone there with him. Trying to wake him up. He groaned screwing his eyes a little tighter. He struggled desperately to remain in that happy place where he didn't have to worry about everything else. He looked to them for help, hoping that they would do something, that they would find some way to anchor him here. They didn't. They simply remained there, smiling kindly at him. He felt himself getting dragged progressively further away. It only made him try to cling on all the harder to his dream. A dream or a memory, he didn't know. He wanted to be there though. It was better than the existence that he currently found himself trapped in.

Despite his efforts, he found himself being brought roughly back into the real world.

He groaned intent on letting whoever was responsible for awakening him know just how much he disapproved of being dragged out of the dreams which had become something of a welcome escape for him. He buried his head in his pillow, hoping against hope that he might be left alone. Instead, that only seemed to encourage his tormentor who shook him a little more vigorously. Finally, giving in to the annoyance, he opened his eye a crack and looked up to see just who had set out to wake him up from such an enjoyable dream.

He found himself greeted by a pair of bright blue eyes. The brightest he'd seen in a while. He was more used to there being some dark bags under them. Confused, he turned over to look at the young woman. She offered him a gentle smile calming him slightly. Given the current situation, he found himself panicking and assuming that something bad had happened whenever someone came looking for him. He figured that if that was the case, then no doubt there would have been a great deal more shouting and much more of a sense of urgency. No doubt EOS could have woken him up in a matter of seconds if required. His grogginess, gradually gave way to curiosity.

"Hey! Get up! There's something you've got to see!"

It took little else to get him out of his bed. There was no mistaking the enthusiasm in Ridley's voice. It marked a stark contrast with the past few days. They weren't panicking or at least not openly. Alan liked to think of John and his friend as having everything under control. It was simply a matter of waiting for them to find the others, no matter where they might be. He'd played it as cool as humanly possible. He wanted to pretend that he wasn't worried. There was some strange comfort in acting. Perhaps that was because, in some small way, it provided him with the ability to fool himself. As he complained about how long it was all taking and spent the rest of the time napping, it proved to be an almost effective escape. The longer he spent playing the part, the less he spent focusing on all of the possible nightmare scenarios.

His brothers could be dead. That thought had occurred to him more than once. Every safe house they tried and that remained silent felt like a defeat. When they got no reply, it was as if the others slipped just a little further away into the darkness and terrifying depths of the unknown. All of those on board of Thunderbird 5 were acutely aware that with each passing hour, the chances of something happening grew.

He tried to shake those thoughts from his head as he followed Ridley back towards the command module. She wouldn't be smiling if there wasn't some good news. He tried not to get too far ahead of himself. There were umpteen things which could still be wrong. The youngest of the Tracy family was also aware that what his elder brother considered to be progress wasn't necessarily the same as what he considered to be progress. In that respect, he tried not to get his hopes up. He didn't want to be crushingly disappointed and discover that actually, they had only located where one of his brothers had briefly stopped but that they had since moved on. Still, as he spotted the figure of the space monitor floating weightlessly as he fiddled around with a few of the screens, it was impossible not to feel the excitement bubbling up inside of him.

His brother seemed distracted, not even registering their presence as they carefully floated over to him. It was only when Ridley came to his side that he seemed to notice that he was no longer alone. He looked at her wide eyed before turning around to face his younger sibling. The smile he wore erased all doubts and reservations that the pilot of Thunderbird 3 might otherwise have had. He couldn't quite see past him to make out just what was on the screens which had him so obviously delighted and only just managing to contain his own excitement but he could imagine or rather, he now dared to hope.

"Come on Allie!" John hadn't called him that since – he couldn't remember when – that must have meant something big. "Come say hi!"

…

The heat beat down on the little island in the midday sun. There wasn't so much as a cloud in the perfectly blue sky. The breeze from the ocean threatened to not be enough to keep things bearable. For a nature reserve, there didn't appear to be much life here but what there was took shelter from the hottest part of the day. They either chose to venture out to sea or to find some shade. It would have made for a good photo, the likes of which would almost inevitably be used as some sort of default background on a computer or something similar.

Standing there looking out to sea, the second eldest of a group of five brothers found himself thinking that it would make for a nice painting. Tropical islands were something that he'd had the occasion to doodle many a time. He must have at least half a dozen canvases in his room that he'd done each depicting his home in a slightly different light or series of colours. One day, various members of his family would tell him, he would need to put them in a gallery of some kind. A sad smile crept onto his face, it had been his mother the first to make the suggestion. Raising his gaze from the ocean to the sky, he made a mental note to do so if he ever made it off of this heap of sand in the middle of the Pacific. It wouldn't have to be a big place, just somewhere where people could come and see his work. He could maybe even give some classes to kids if he had the time, not that he ever would. Someone always seemed to need Thunderbird 2 somewhere for one emergency or another…

His brother was at his 58th imaginary length. He could do more. Many more. Somehow, in his mind he was able to fabricate an Olympic swimming pool or perhaps the one that they had on Tracy Island. He would swim a length, then turn around and go again. Always a crawl. His little brother had been born to spend time in the water. He made it all look so effortless. This frantic exercise allowed him to burn off energy, which made him at least somewhat bearable to be around at the moment. Gordon couldn't sit still. Unlike the rest of them, he struggled to accept that right now, all they could do was wait for Brains to have a breakthrough. Whilst Virgil could understand the stresses and tension that it entailed – he too was suffering from them – he also realized what would happen if they rushed in blindly. It wasn't just their own lives or their own crafts that they needed to take into account but also their grandmother's and friend. That was to say nothing of the rest of their family whom they could potentially endanger as well. Like it or not, they would have to sit tight.

This was never going to be easy… It was just a shame that they were so isolated out here. They could have done with at least hearing from the others. After four days of absolute silence, naturally he was beginning to worry. Given that according to the news they were all still actively being hunted for, he knew that in theory at least, his brothers and sister in all but blood were still running around out there somewhere. Every time they listened however, he had his heart in his mouth. If nothing else, he knew that one day, there would be an announcement that one of them had been caught or worse. None of them could hide forever. Even their resources would run out eventually. They would have to move on and then they would be vulnerable again. It was something that he tried not to think too much about. It was best to keep some hope and tell himself that they would have found a solution long before then.

His brown eyes briefly flickered back up to the sun. He could feel it beating down heavily now. Just how hot it was he didn't know but his instincts told them that they shouldn't be exposed to it for too long, not even whilst swimming. His brother's frantic exercise would have to come to an end soon, he would see to it. Ten more laps, no more. They didn't want him endangering his health. If he protested, then he would march out there and drag him on to dry land. Sensing the presence of another, he turned to face his grandmother. She stopped by his side but said nothing. The elderly woman watched the scene as he had been doing for the past few minutes. They were of a like mind on this matter, it was better that he got it all out of his system, however that was than it all built up and eventually boiled over.

"Want to swap?"

"He still working?" The answer seemed obvious, still he couldn't help but ask.

"I can't tear him away from those darned machines!"

Virgil shook his head. The issue was complex. Brains couldn't be torn away from the computers and the rest of the equipment he was trying to use to re-establish some form of contact with Thunderbird 5. Whilst they desperately needed to get communications back online or face potentially permanent separation. The genius was however human. That meant that he needed to eat, drink and sleep like the rest of him. Right now, they were struggling to get him to do any of those. If he were left to it, he would no doubt work round the clock and never take a break. It was a job the second eldest of the brothers had been doing with his grandmother, each taking turns to manage the more troubled members of their group. Turning back towards Thunderbird 2, he decided he had better take over the elder's watch and ensure that the resident genius didn't pass out from heat exhaustion.

"Give him another twenty lengths, then that's it."

"Will do."

They said nothing else before parting ways. He already knew where he would find his friend. Since they had arrived here and he had set up camp, he virtually hadn't moved. They had managed to find him a decent spot to work. It had the benefit of being permanently in the shade because they could be sure that he wouldn't budge even if the sun came round and started to roast him. Ideally, they would have set him up inside of Thunderbird 2 in an air-conditioned room but with no immediate way to refuel, they were being forced to economize energy. Outside had become the most tolerable place in terms of temperature to be, if only because they benefited from the refreshing ocean breeze.

Sure enough, Brains hadn't moved from where he had left him earlier on in the day before accompanying Gordon to the beach. He was still busy tinkering with the radio antennae they had set up or rather with its configuration. MAX was by his side, peering over his shoulder watching him work. From time to time, he might ask the robot to bring him something or fiddle with some of the electronics whilst he dealt with something else. They could and work like that for hours, seemingly without tiring. Of course, they did get tired. The genius wouldn't let that stop him however. He paused for a few seconds, panting slightly. Sweat dripped down from his brow. With the back of his sleeve, he brushed it away. A second later, he was back to work. From a few yards away, Virgil watched a mixture of amused and increasingly concerned. He should be at the very least taking a couple of minutes break from time to time. Deciding not to leave it any longer, he stepped forwards. It would be best to try and make the point with some humour rather than sounding strict, he figured.

"I've heard brains preform better when hydrated." His comment caused the other young man to turn around. "You need a drink?"

"N-No thanks Virgil, I'm still trying to figure this out."

The pilot of Thunderbird 2 let out a sigh. MAX looked at him through its robotic lenses. More than once, he had found himself wondering what was going on behind all of those cogs and gears. Before EOS, he would have said that it was all just a result of its creator's programming. Now, he wasn't so sure. He wished that the robot could have helped him out here. He made his way over slowly. Over the past few days, he'd had numerous opportunities to inspect the problem and see what could be done about it. He might not be as smart as Brains but he had been to college and knew his way around mechanics and engineering enough to be able to lend a hand. He could see what the issue was and knew that it was going to be incredibly difficult to find a way around it from the ground.

He stood there for a few moments simply watching with his arms folded across his chest. He waited patiently. Brains' tinkering continued. It was all a matter of minute adjustments. Finally, he paused. Motionless, he remained there with two wires in his hands. It was as if somebody had managed to stop time. Then, he let out a sigh. It was one of those sighs that came with an incredibly weight and something which Virgil knew was coming.

"I don't know if I can do it." His confession was no more than a whisper. "Without Thunderbird 5… It's like calling out to the deaf."

"Hey! If anyone can contact the others, it's you!" Reaching out, he placed a hand on the other man's shoulder squeezing slightly to give reassurance. "Just… Don't forget to eat and sleep okay?"

Brains nodded once in reply. Virgil offered him a smile before letting him get back to work. He wasn't entirely convinced that his words would have much if anything of an effect on the genius. Maybe for a little while but this wasn't exactly the first time they had brought the matter up since arriving on the island. In a way, he could understand what the issue was. It was difficult not to do anything and there was always that feeling that every second spent idly (even if it was just eating and sleeping) was one which could potentially mean life and death for one of their family members. He must have been feeling the pressure as the man everyone was looking to for a solution, even if they weren't physically asking for one. He would have known that they were hoping for one and might not have anywhere else to turn.

He kept the man company. The peace and quiet of the island was similar to the one which reigned back at his home. Different however. Whilst the ocean remained comparable. Everything was eerily quiet. There should have been the sound of Alan and Gordon bickering, Scott telling them to stop fighting, Kayo laughing as she practically encouraged them and then everything getting disturbed by John informing them that someone somewhere needed help. He let out a sigh. He would trade that paradise for this one in a second.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The sound caused his head to snap around so quickly that he almost sprained his neck. There was a small capsule carefully sheltered by some bushes a few yards away. It had been inanimate for the past four days. Now however there was a tiny red bleeping light atop it. For a couple of seconds, Virgil could only stare. Slowly, he faced Brains who seemed to equally be mesmerized by the little blinking light. Their gazes met, as did their minds. The same realization struck them in that brief matter of moments. The pilot mouthed two very simple words but which instantly changed everything: _the beacon_.

Without wasting another second, he charged over. They would likely only have a relatively limited time window to respond, anything longer could be detected. He almost stumbled and hit the deck as he scrambled to make his way to the machine. He forgot about Brains. About Gordon doing his lengths and Grandma watching him. All that mattered was making it in time. With a thud, he brought his hand back down on the button as soon as he could reach it. Instantly, the beeping stopped. Breathless, he simply stood there staring at the device which had gone back to being its usual dead self. There was one single difference which he noted, there was now a second light which had come on. This one was green however. He might have smiled at his own success, were it not for the shock.

Time seemed to stand still as they stared back at the beacon. Brains had joined him but said nothing, standing by his side motionless, his mouth slightly open. Time felt as if it had stopped. Even as he recovered his breath, Virgil struggled to comprehend what had happened. In total, it could only have lasted about fifteen seconds from the time the alarm had first sounded to when he had replied. It was so brief in fact that he found himself wondering if it had even happened in the first place. Still, as he stood there looking at it, he felt a slightly giddy sensation in the pit of his stomach. If the beacon had gone off then it meant that they weren't alone… It meant that out there, one of his brothers was trying to contact them.

A flickering image suddenly appeared. For a moment, he could only stare speechless. As could his brother. They looked at one another. In the scheme of things, four days was nothing. Yet right then and there it felt as if they hadn't been together in decades. In a strange way, his brother almost felt like an apparition, especially given the slightly blue nature of the holograms they used. Speechless, Virgil felt some tears slowly begin to form behind his eyes. A large smile crept onto his face which he couldn't even attempt to conceal. Right now, a mixture of joy and relief seemed to drown out all the rest.

"John..."

The name came out as a whisper. A few seconds passed and gradually a similar, albeit slightly more contained smile made its way onto his sibling's face. He wanted to shout, to scream in triumph but couldn't. Right now, just standing there in the presence - even an artificial one - of another member of his family was enough for him. He turned to Brains whose excitement was equally visible. _Thank you, thank you, thank you…_ Was all that Thunderbird 2's pilot could think in those few moments. The silence might have appeared strange to a spectator. Words failed to come to him as he stood there, simply gawking with a madman's grin on his face. The only other time he could recall feeling this way was when his father had first shown him his craft and informed him that he was to pilot it.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes..." The space monitor informed him eventually.

"So are you." It was the only thing he could think to respond.

"I'll go tell the others." The genius had darted off before Virgil could say a word.

"Others?" Excitement lit up his brother's eyes.

"Yeah. I've got Gordon and Grandma with me."

"We've got Alan."

"Speaking of, I'll go wake him up. He'll want to see this."

The sound of another voice perplexed Virgil. The camera didn't allow him. He felt that he recognised it from somewhere. For the briefest of seconds, he held out a hope that it was Kayo. The accent dashed that hope in a second. That and there was no conceivable way of her getting up there. It certainly wasn't EOS, too mature. He had most definitely heard it before however. It was placing it which proved to be difficult. He fixed his brother for a moment, quizzically. The holograms weren't perfect but it looked like there was some heat rising to John's cheeks. That only served to peak his curiosity. Raising an eyebrow, he strained his mind wondering who could possible be up there with him. It came to him suddenly but before he could vocalize the realization, his sibling, perhaps trying to save some face, beat him to the punch:

"Captain Ridley O'Bannon..." The voiced trailed off for a moment as he cleared his throat. "Is up here with us."

"Ah..." A teasing smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You realize Grandma's going to kill you, right?"

"She was playing handball with me when this all started!" John snapped raising his hands in self-defence. "I couldn't exactly-"

"I'm sure she was bro. I'm sure she was… Besides, it's not me you have to convince."

Virgil's eyes travelled over to what John couldn't see. From the beach, Brains was running at a comparatively slow pace so as to stay with Grandma. Gordon however was galloping along. He scrambled over the sand, charging like a madman. Had there been a five foot wall in his way, no doubt he would have leapt it in a single bound if it meant shaving off a couple of seconds between when he could reach them. Despite not being able to actually make them out, no doubt he would have guessed who was coming. With every passing second, relief seemed to wash over the second eldest of the brothers. All of the doubts and fears which had been plaguing him and he had been fighting to prevent them from showing washed away in a matter of seconds.

Gordon reached him in record time. Back at home, he had never been able to match Scott in terms of speed when it came to a footrace. That little run however might very well have been faster that the oldest brother could have managed. Out of breath, he skidded to a halt only just managing to stop himself before he collided with Virgil prompting the latter to put his hands on his brother, slowing and stabilizing him. For the first time in a while, the aquanaut smiled. His attention quickly turned to the hologram beaming down from the space station. He said nothing but stare, much in the same way that his elder brother had first done. Then, without warning. He laughed. It was a warm and joyful chuckle, one which spoke of relief and joy the likes of which he hadn't felt in a long time.

Neither of his brothers dared to say anything. Allowing Gordon to get it all out of his system. It wasn't hilarity so much as a happiness with the world. He couldn't take his eyes off of his sibling. They spent the next few moments in silence. Somehow, words didn't need to be said.

It was John who finally turned away, calling out to Alan to come over. A moment later, their little brother's face appeared. In a way, despite all the reassurance that they brought, the holograms were almost torturous. Standing there, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around his brothers and pull them in close, give them one of those bear hugs that caused them to complain that they couldn't breathe. He would laugh and let them go. Unfortunately, he was acutely aware that right now the John and Alan he had in front of him were merely light and his hands would go right through them. Their true bodies were no doubt far away, well out of his reach. As such, he found himself powerless but to stare at them, in much the same way as Alan was currently doing. A moment later, they were rejoined by Grandma and Brains. It wasn't all of them but having at least half of their family back together again was enough to bring back some smiles to their faces. Strangely, it seemed to be finding words which was proving difficult for everyone.

"Good to see you guys are all okay." It was Alan who finally broke the silence which hung over them.

"You too kid." There was a slight frown on Grandma's brow as she paused for a moment. "But what are you doing on Thunderbird 5?"

"Oh! I received an encrypted message from John and Ridley. I followed it here and-"

"Ridley?" The elder cut him short turning abruptly to a rather sheepish looking John.

"Uh… Hi?"

Ridley O'Bannon floated forwards enough for her image to appear alongside that of the two Tracy brothers. Virgil turned to Gordon raising an eyebrow as he gave his sibling a knowing look. He responded with a smirk. He was sure that something like this made them both terrible brothers. They should have been backing up their sibling in his time of need or at least trying to change the subject. Unfortunately, it was simply too amusing to see the rather awkward look on the space monitor's face as his grandmother glared daggers at him. The young captain stayed diplomatically silent, periodically casting her friend furtive glances eager to see how he would react and acutely aware that right now, he was in some hot water.

The awkward and to his brothers, somewhat amusing silence lasted for a few seconds. From time to time, the space monitor would turn to them pleadingly hoping that they might do or say something to get him out of the elderly woman's sights. Naturally, as good siblings, they did nothing. Choosing to stand back and simply smile teasingly. Finally, Grandma Tracy's patience ran out as she waited for an explanation which was obviously never going to come from her grandchild. Her voice was somehow both incredibly low and dangerous and almost a shout. Truly, Virgil struggled to think of anyone more terrifying and that was when she wasn't armed with some of her infamous cookies.

"John Glenn Tracy, why is there a girl up there with you?"

"I- Uh… Well, you see… We were playing handball. It's a weekly thing you know and-"

"You must think I was born yesterday!" The elderly woman raised her voice, startling her grandchild as she cut him short. "Young man, when you get down from there you're going to have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Why? You two are just friends, right?"

Up on board of the space station, there was yet another bout of silence. Alan simply stared at the two of them expecting a confirmation. Instead, they looked decidedly uneasy. The space monitor's cheeks flushed a bright red. He was in the spotlight right now, a position he truly hated at any time, especially when the subject was something which embarrassed him. That was doubly true when he had an angry Grandma to answer to. From time to time, he would briefly glance in Ridley's direction perhaps hoping for some back-up. She looked to be about as confused by the whole situation as he was, although judging by the slight smile which was only just visible at the corner of her mouth, she either found it somewhat amusing or his current awkwardness endearing. Whichever it was, he would find no help there.

Although Alan remained young, he was able to read through the uneasy silence. There was something of a "no lying" rule in their family. They had already seen with Kayo how dangerous secrets and half-truths could be. Granted, this was by no means as serious but John was hesitant to openly lie to his younger brother. Instead, after a few moments. He simply offered him an awkward smile in the form of something of an apology. The youngest brother's eyes widened as certain things which had struck him as odd during his visit suddenly became clearer.

"Oh... Well that certainly explains things." Alan pondered the matter for a few seconds, not bothered but rather making sense of it all. "Like how come the spare-"

"Can we please deal with this later?" Irritation now outweighed John's embarrassment as he hastily changed the subject. "Have you been able to make contact with Scott or Kayo?"

Virgil shook his head negatively. It was all dead on that front. In many ways, he wasn't all that surprised that they were having trouble getting through to Kayo. She was a shadow and could be difficult to contact on the best of days. No doubt she would be lying low and blending in. Scott was more concerning. Their team leader and first responder wasn't exactly the best when it came to stealth. He was more of the rush in sort. No doubt he would have realized that that approach wouldn't work for him here. They all hoped that he would also be hiding out some place. The circumstances in which they had left him however had been confused and dangerous enough to allow them to worry. There had been some gunfire and although in his last transmission he had claimed to be alright, naturally they couldn't help but wonder.

The fact that John was asking was encouraging however. He wouldn't be doing so if he knew that something had happened to them. With any luck, it would simply be a matter of locating the two of them. That should be a lot easier now that they had Thunderbird 5. Grandma stepped forwards, taking over the role of leader. Her anger at her middle grandchild seemed to have been forgotten about, at least for the time being. Right now, they were all aware that there were far more important matters to be dealt with. It was time to get organised.

"You're the first ones we've heard from." The elder turned briefly to Brains for a moment. "Now that we've made contact with Thunderbird 5, any chance you could call the others?"

"With it's systems, y-yes. I'm going to need EOS' help though and it might take some time if we want it secure." For the first time in a while, the genius sounded truly confident.

"Just say what you need." The image of the artificial intelligence appeared along side the rest of them.

Virgil stepped back allowing the reinvigorated genius to get back to work. He turned Gordon, there was hope and life back behind his eyes. For the first time in days, it looked like there might be hope.

.…

Kayo awoke with a jump. Something was wrong. She didn't pause to wonder what it could have been or wait until she'd completely pulled herself together. Instead, she acted. Still groggy and not quite able to process properly, the head of security for International Rescue thrashed around feeling something on top of her automatically presuming an attack. In a strange place, panic quickly took over. Kicking violently, she attempted to get away, only to realize that whatever it was had grabbed a hold of her legs. She rolled off of the couch, crashing into something soft below. There was a noise of some kind but in her current confusion, it didn't register that much with her. She found herself looking up at the pale ceiling.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, she tried to remember her training and to remain calm. Panic made everything seem more complex and almost inevitably lead to fear. Fear caused you to lose a fight.

With her eyes closed, she quickly realized that she'd overreacted. If this was an attack. They were the least aggressive attackers in the world. If it was the GDF or one of the numerous foes they had acquired in the space of a few days, they would have moved quickly and decisively. They wouldn't go in without enough manpower to be sure to be able to take them both down, not with so much riding upon it. That and they likely wouldn't be so polite as to bother waking her up. A quick shot to the head whilst they slept soundly would suffice. Breathing a little more easily, she dared to open her eye a fraction and see just what manner of trouble she had encountered which had woken her up. The young woman groaned with exasperation recognizing just what had scared her. In her panic, her sheet had become tangled around her legs.

She lay there for a moment, catching her breath. Kayo was no stranger to night terrors. She knew that they would pass. For reasons which the young woman didn't quite understand, she'd suffered from them for quite some time, since she was a teen probably. She blamed her uncle, he was a good scapegoat and a figure of such hatred and resentment that she didn't even mind pinning the blame on him for half the things in her life which hadn't worked out. Stuff like this being on the run nonsense didn't help much. Laying her hand on the top of her head. Silently, she waited for her pulse to slow. Back home, she might have gotten up and done a perimeter check to ensure that they were all safe. Here, she dared not move.

It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't technically lying on the floor. True, she had tumbled from the couch but there was something between herself and the ground. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Scott. He was staring up at the ceiling, no doubt wondering just what had just happened. She unwillingly groaned with frustration before she had enough time to realize that she should have been staying quiet. Cursing her luck and regretting what had happened. . He had needed his sleep. She'd been pestering him for days about it and now had just gone and woken him up.

He remained both silent and motionless however allowing her to come back to her senses fully and calm down. Lying on his chest the way that she was, she guessed that she must have hurt him when she fell. That would probably explain the ' _umph_ ' that she had heard. Despite everything, his presence somehow managed to soothe some of her worries in this strange place. Although he had been anything but soothing to be around these past few days. The eldest of the brothers knew her well enough to give her some time, waiting for her to chose to speak rather than demanding an explanation. He could be the biggest pain possible but then change to being the greatest comfort in a matter of moments, a strange gift he possessed and one which although she might complain, she knew not to take for granted.

Letting out a sigh, she finally chose to speak when she was certain that she was in full control of herself once again. Remembering where they were, Kayo made an effort to speak quietly in nothing more than a whisper:

"I'm sorry..."

"Doesn't matter." Came the calm and gently reply. "I'm not all that attached to my ribcage anyhow."

She snorted briefly in amusement before sitting up. She made an effort not to do so by pushing up on her friend. Despite what he claimed, she doubted he would appreciate another elbow in the ribs. She tried to undo the blanket which still had her legs trapped. Just how she had managed in the space of a few seconds to get into such a muddle was beyond her. If she had tried to get herself into this mess, the young woman doubted that she would have been able to do it. Behind her, Scott managed to sit. Reaching past her, he managed to pull at some of the sheet, finally freeing her. She didn't thank him, choosing just to sit there, still a little shaken. The young woman rested her chin on her knees as she pulled them closer to her. The source of her fear had been forgotten but it still managed to weigh down upon her.

"You okay?"

She nodded in reply. She didn't bother to check his expression so as to try and make out if he believed her or not. It was a wonder that Colonel Casey hadn't woken up. Perhaps she had but hearing no more commotion had assumed that it was merely one of them shifting slightly. At any rate, she hadn't emerged from her room. They could be grateful for that much. She didn't particularly fancy having to explain herself to the woman. Even knowing that they would naturally have the best intentions, their concern wasn't something which she particularly wanted right now. Best they think that it was just a nightmare. Nightmare didn't sound as bad as "night terror" that instantly screamed "something wrong" and tended to make people worry more. Given the state that Scott had been in for the last few days, she would much rather not trouble him with anything else. Besides, Kayo prided herself on being able to look after herself. That meant dealing with the odd emotional hiccup along the way.

Her muscles tensed up abruptly as a pair of long strong arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her in for something of a hug. She was free to pull away if she wished. She didn't, for once deciding to accept the reassurance which was being offered to her. Letting out a soft sigh, she relaxed pressing her head against his chest where she could hear the steady beating of his heart. Scott gently rested his head on her shoulder. His scruffy beard scratched slightly against her cheek. It wasn't a feeling which she particularly found pleasant. Hopefully he would see it fit to shave whenever they returned to something even resembling a civilised life. For the time being however his rather unkept appearance didn't seem to matter. For a brief few moments, it was pleasant to simply close her eyes and take some comfort from the fact that she wasn't alone. It would have been easy to fall asleep there.

There was a small red light shining through her sleeve. Narrowing her eyes, she carefully pulled back her sleeve to reveal her communicator. Scott's attention travelled down to have a look at what had drawn her attention. She felt his surprise, as he tensed up suddenly realizing just what it meant.

Without saying a single word, she carefully tapped away. A four word message appeared. It had been sent less than ten minutes ago. Suddenly, the cause for her violent awakening seemed rather obvious… When safe. Call back. Easy instructions to follow and yet potentially very dangerous. Naturally, there was a temptation to call back instantly, without so much as a second thought. As head of security however, Kayo was acutely aware of how vulnerable they were. At times like this, they would have to be exceptionally vigilant so as to avoid becoming desperate and end up doing something stupid which could easily cost them their lives. The last thing that they wanted to do was give away their location.

After a few seconds reflection, it occurred to her that if someone out there who was trying to set a trap knew how to contact them, then it should have been child's play to track them down. They wouldn't have to worry about sending them a message. If anything, it would have been counter-productive, acting as a warning.

Glancing over her shoulder, she turned to Scott. He waited patiently, eager to hear her verdict. She nodded slowly. It should be safe. He said nothing. It was with her heart in her mouth that she called back. The call seemed to ring out forever. She understood that whoever was at the other end of the line would have to make sure it was all properly encrypted but still, every second brought a thousand nightmare scenarios into her mind. After five days, naturally she had begun

"Ha! Knew you'd answer!"

The friendly face of a blonde teenager popped up. Kayo was quick to lower the volume. Instinctively, she glanced towards the colonel's room weary least she come out. Still no sign. Perhaps the woman was a heavy sleeper. Her attention quickly turned back to Alan wearing a beaming as he looked at the two of them excitedly. A second later, John's face appeared along side that of his brother, quickly followed by that of a young woman, Ridley O'Bannon if she wasn't mistaken, one of John's 'friends'. There were three of them up there it would seem. For the time being, she wasn't even going to ponder how that had come to happen. Right now, it was hardly a main concern.

"Hang on, I'll see if I can patch us through to the others."

"The others?" Kayo had just enough time to ask.

John didn't need to explain himself as a moment later, the faces of the rest of their family appeared. Everyone was there, even Brains and Grandma had made it out it would seem. Words couldn't quite describe the relief that she felt upon seeing them once more. It was probably a good thing that she had lowered the volume as everyone began talking at once. It made it almost impossible to make out the various things which they were saying. She caught something from Alan about Scott's beard, Virgil was just glad to see them, Grandma wanted to know if they were safe, she thought that she heard Gordon say something about about John having a new girlfriend… Ordinarily, the excited cacophony would have bothered her. Right now however, it went without saying that she was just happy to see them all again. Five days was too long to be apart, at least for their family.

"You guys..."

Remembering that she wasn't alone, she turned to see Scott. There was a warm smile there clear as day. It was one of genuine happiness that she hadn't seen in quite some time. That in itself was a welcome relief. Perhaps now after days of worrying and tearing himself apart, he would be able to relax a little when he realized that his brothers were safe and sound. There was an almost tearful look in his eyes as he stared at each of their faces. Hearing him speak was enough to calm the others. The silence was peaceful. Even the miniaturized holographic images which had been reduced dramatically by her communicator so as to all be visible offered in themselves something of a comfort. They were in all likelihood thousands of miles apart and yet right now, they felt safe.

Finally, it was Grandma who took over, speaking no doubt for all of them. Kayo guessed that they must already have exchanged a fair bit before contacting them. Naturally that meant that they would probably be in for a fair bit of questioning curtsey of the rest of their family.

"Where are you two?"

"Colonel Casey's house." Scott kept his voice at a whisper, remembering that they weren't alone. "We'll be moving on in the morning."

"Casey? I bet she was thrilled." The eldest brother grimaced slightly confirming the statement. "Any chance you can make it here?"

"Where are you?" Given how difficult it had been to make it from Nevada to Minnesota and the risks that they had taken, she was dubious that they would be able to regroup unless they were literally next door.

"Safe house 52, south pacific."

"Yeah… That's a no go."

Scott spent the next five minutes explaining to his family what had happened to them once they had become separated. Most of it boiled down to the fact that right now they were trapped on the American continent. With Thunderbird 1 too badly damaged to envisage repairing without the proper facilities or equipment and Thunderbird Shadow only able to carry one even if it wasn't running on fumes, they were never going to be able to travel any great distance in order to regroup. For a moment, they contemplated sending Thunderbird 2 or even Thunderbird 3, anything to pick them up. It was quickly dismissed as being far too visible. They had only just managed to get away in their craft the first time, they likely wouldn't be so lucky a second. The other brothers set about telling Scott

She was acutely aware that whilst they all chatted, there was still one massive problem which would need facing. The elephant in the room which for the time being, none of them wanted to address. Her eyes travelled outside. It was still dark but for how much longer? When the sun came they would have to move. To where? They could go back to the desert but that was hardly an ideal place to be hiding. If nothing else, the conditions were such that she wasn't sure how much longer they could have lasted. Ultimately, it would only be a matter of time until someone, somewhere noticed their presence. Hadn't that been one of their main reasons for coming out here? If they wanted to survive this, they would have to start looking forwards. Casey had been right about one thing, right now, International Rescue couldn't exist. The question remained did they want to fight for it and potentially give their lives to maintain Jeff Tracy's dream? The thought caused her to become silent as she was faced once more with the scale of the problem. Turning back to the others, she held her tongue. They were all smiling and so happy to be reunited, even by hologram, Kayo didn't want to be the one to break that up.

The others were aware that they weren't going to be able to keep on chatting like this. Things slowly quietened down. A strange unease passed over them as they remembered just what had driven them to be like this in the first place. It took a lot to get between the Tracy family and tear them apart but one man had managed it. Finally, it was the youngest who spoke up in a quiet and uncertain voice:

"So… The Mechanic, any ideas for what we're going to do about him?"

"None..." Scott ran a hand through his uncharacteristically shaggy hair, a habit he had developed since being deprived of his gel. "We went through Casey's files earlier and-"

"You what?" Grandma cut him short.

"I did it without Scott's permission." Kayo didn't even look at the woman as she cut in, choosing to fix the veranda instead. "The GDF have no idea where he is or project sentinel."

"Well we can't do anything if we don't know where he is!"

Virgil's statement although obvious was also painful. Kayo had been made brutally aware of just how powerless she was when she had tried to track down the villain only to be met by nothingness. He had become a ghost. A smart move. No doubt he would be aware that whilst he could strong-arm the GDF and much of the world into doing as he said, that didn't mean they would appreciate it. Given the chance, they would take him down. That meant he would have to hide not only his laser's location but also his own. The question was just how they would manage to track them down given that they had never succeeded in doing so before. Even with all of their equipment on Tracy island, they had failed miserably. He always seemed to be several steps ahead of them. Just out of their reach, their foe would inevitably slip through their fingers, much like the Hood had when he seemed like their biggest problem. Right now, given that they were struggling just to keep their own locations concealed, she struggled to see how they could possibly track him down.

It was a fair bet that whatever they tried, it was going to involve risking their lives. Unless of course they did nothing and assumed that for the rest of their lives they were going to have to forget about the Thunderbirds, International Rescue and what they had once been. She doubted that option would suit anyone. As such, it probably wouldn't even be brought up. Perhaps the others had been able to contemplate the problem a bit better given that they hadn't been spending the same amount of time actively hiding and worrying about being spotted. Fixing the floorboard, Kayo's mind wondered through the problems. Every time she found herself faced with one, it was a challenge to find any possible solutions which wouldn't be dubbed as "insanely dangerous". They were the sort of things she would hesitate to do even if it was only her, it was impossible to contemplate Scott coming along, much less agreeing to it.

"There might b-be a way..."

Brains' comment instantly drew everyone's attention. He'd spoken quietly. Kayo found herself frowning, there was a 'but' hidden there clear as day. Any easy solutions wouldn't require such a long pause. Even before he continued, they all knew that it would either be a technical issue which would be either difficult to solve or require some other form of assitance and/or something which would involve them ultimately having to risk their lives. The genius' eyes drifted around awkwardly as he felt their gazes resting upon him. He fiddled with his glasses for a moment, removing them and rubbing their rims. Finally, he let out a sigh before continuing:

"-but it's risky."

"Right now, risky doesn't sound too bad." Kayo couldn't help but silently agree with Gordon's statement, it was better than inertia and waiting for something to go wrong.

"N-not when it involves stealing from the Mechanic."

"Go on..." Grandma's encouragement spoke in part of their desperation to find any form of solution.

"Well…"

The science explanation flew over Kayo's head. She suspected that only Virgil and perhaps John understood half of what the genius said. It wasn't so much the basic principle as the terms he used to describe it. The scientific jargon was a language she had simply never been taught. Basic engineering principles she understood and could get her head around. It had been unavoidable as far as piloting their crafts were concerned. It would be unthinkable for them to have to call for the equivalent of a tow-truck whilst on a mission… Complicated physics had never been one of her strong points however. After a few seconds of trying her best to follow, something of a self-preservation instinct kicked in causing her mind to switch off. Hopefully it wasn't too visible. She was vaguely aware of Gordon complaining about the way he had phrased it and asking for a simplified version. Could, she could start listening again.

It didn't take quite so much effort to understand that it boiled down to him wanting a mech or rather, access to one's database. Either way, they were going to have to get pretty darn close to one. Green eyes turned to face those of Scott Tracy, he looked right at her but said nothing. He didn't need to, she could read his face. They were both thinking the same thing but dared not speak until their friend had finished his simplified explanation:

"The Mechanic must be controlling them from somewhere. If we can hack into one's systems then-"

"We can track him down!" Alan's voice, even with her communicator's volume turned down, seemed to be loud and bright.

"In theory..."

"We… Might be able to get you one..."

Scott spoke for the two of them. He didn't need to seek her agreement, knowing that he would have it already. Ultimately, it was a shot in the dark. They were both aware of it. Not to mention dangerous as hell. Not only would they be up against the Mechanic's machines which were dangerous enough by themselves but there would be GDF soldiers nearby just to make things that little bit more treacherous. The others didn't like it. She could see it on their faces as the eldest of the brothers explained to them. There were a thousand protestations and arguments just waiting to be spoken. It was something they plainly didn't have time for. They weren't back in the safety of their island, right now they were trapped in the United States in a situation where they were on the most wanted list. It was a fact their head of security was eager to remind them of:

"We'll be quick and quiet. Strike fast and be out before he knows what hit him."

"I don't like this…" Their elder's voice was full of discontent, not even attempting to hide her disapproval. "You're risking your lives."

"Nothing new there." It was something that Scott said in a sigh. "Look. We don't have much of a choice. The longer we wait, the more chance one of us gets caught out. Kayo and I will keep you updated."

Kayo cut the transmission. It was an easy way of stopping an argument. A technique she had perfected usually when dealing with John. No doubt on the other end right now they would be angry. Probably, rightly so but as she saw it they couldn't afford to spend any longer debating the subject. It was costing them valuable time. The head of security became aware that Scott was staring at her. She could easily pick up on the irritation behind his eyes. He disapproved of this sort of thing. No doubt if he had his way, he'd spend the next half hour trying to justify himself. She glared at him, challenging the young man to tell her she'd done wrong.

He looked away for a moment, not saying anything. Chewing over his own thoughts for a while, he turned back and nodded slowly perhaps not quite agreeing but realizing that right now it was their only course of option.

Without saying a word, they got up. If they moved quickly, they might be able to make it to the Mechanic's pick-up point within a day. It wasn't as if they had many belongings to pack. None at all in fact. It didn't seem right to take so much as a bottle of water from the Colonel given the risks that she had already taken in having them here. That left them with only the rucksacks with limited supplies which they had brought with them to take. Quietly, Kayo slipped her boots on, as Scott tidied up the blankets he had been sleeping on, ensuring that they didn't leave the place a mess. They made their way over to the veranda door, unlocking it. The night's air was crisp and rather chilly. The horizon was growing lighter however as the sun slowly began to rise. It would have to be a brisk walk back to the car if they wanted to make it in time.

"Take this."

A soft voice behind them startled her. She turned to face Casey. How long the woman had been standing there she didn't know. Bright eyed, she didn't look like someone who had just been woken up. So her best guess was that the woman had been eavesdropping for a while now. Her attention was focused more upon the hunting rifle she had in her hands. It was an old thing, worn and scratched along the stock. Although far from an expert, Kayo guessed that it must have pre-dated the Colonel. She held it out offering it to them. Scott simply stood there staring at the weapon as if he had never seen one before.

"It was my father's." The woman's explanation trailed off for a moment before her seriousness returned. "If my men see you, they'll shoot you but you found that one out for yourselves. I can't call them off. So from here on out, you're on your own."

"How much did you hear?" Scott's eyes left the gun travelling back to the woman.

"Enough." A pair of brown eyes travelled back to the gradually rising sun. "Go now. You haven't much time."

Kayo nodded understanding. According to the files of the Colonel's computer, there would be two GDF soldiers waiting for the air mech to arrive. They would naturally be armed. In an ideal world, Casey would have asked them to neglect their duties or at the very least not fire. Unfortunately, it was hard to conceive of a way that she could do that without giving away the fact that something was up to either her superiors or the Mechanic himself. This was the most which she could do for them, which was already far more than many would. There was no way to say thanks, Scott uneasily reached out to take the rifle from her. As he put his hand upon it however, he encountered some resistance.

"You shoot at mechs! Not at my men!" There was a warning there as clear as day, a ferocity behind her eyes which made even Kayo want to shrink away.

"Understood." In a second, she relinquished the weapon allowing him to take it.

"Good. Now move and whatever happens don't come back here! We might not be so lucky the next time."

"We won't..." Scott promised her slinging the gun over his shoulder. "Colonel… Thank you."

She said nothing but nodded simply. Kayo placed a hand on her friend's arm. They had to leave. This might be America but she suspected that if someone saw them walking through the streets back to their car with a big rifle, some questions might just be raised. Giving the woman who had risked so much to help them one last farewell glance, they turned around and quickly made their way back towards the woods, retracing the steps they had taken just hours ago.

The colonel lingered on the veranda for a moment. She watched the two children of her friends vanish into the forest with a heavy heart. In another life, she would have gone with them. Even with contact re-established between the family, they could have done with some guidance from Jeff she found herself thinking. There was a hole there which would likely never be filled, no matter how hard Scott tried. Turning her gaze towards the sun, the woman made no attempt to return to her bed. Duty would be calling soon enough and it took all of her courage to get her through each and every day. She didn't feel much of the warmth of the sun as it rose, a sure sign that autumn was setting in. Trying to make up for it, she closed her eyes, remembering when she had sat out here many years ago. They'd seen the red sky as night had fallen and then the darkness become light once more when dawn came around. Letting out a sigh, she could almost hear her friend's voices chatting and laughing next to her.

A beeping from her computer signalled a message. For a moment, the woman ignored it, trying to block out the persistent noise which demanded her attention for as long as she could. Finally, she spun around on her heel and headed over to the desk. She didn't even bother sitting down, simply hitting a few keys on the keyboard to bring up the face of one of her operatives:

"Yes, soldier, what is it?" She made no attempt to mask the stress or frustration in her voice.

"Colonel. We got him..."

Instantly, everything changed. She used the face that she had perfected after years of work which allowed her to become emotionless to the outside world. It took a certain amount of callousness to be able to do her job. Some complained about it, she challenged anyone to be able to be faced with this sort of a mess and still manage to maintain their humanity to a full degree. She couldn't afford to show even the slightest amount of regret as she heard those words and forced herself to remain calm and stoic to the rest of the world. This was just business. A business where lives were involved but business none-the-less.

"Alright. I'm on my way."

She gave him no time to react, ending the call as she went for her shoes and uniform. A quick glance over her shoulder was all she could afford as she prayed for one of those miracles which only International Rescue managed to pull off.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Authors note: Thanks for the review Bow Echo. As daft as it might sound, I only just figured out how to leave them myself. I've been reading your fics for a while and I've got to admit I love them! If I knew how to send a PM, I would. I think I might have turned mine off.**_

 _ **/**_

Fists clenched, teeth gritted. GDF soldiers got out of her way.

Anger was one of the few emotions she never made an attempt to hide. Use it in moderation and when needed of course. Control it, certainly. It could be a powerful weapon when used correctly. It let people know when they had made a mistake. It created fear, especially when it was deserved. Whilst history had taught that ruling through fear was never advisable, it did serve something of a purpose when keeping those under her command in check. Soldiers who didn't respect orders or their commander were a danger to everyone: themselves, their allies, enemies and innocent bystanders. The threat was naturally only multiplied when bullets were involved.

She walked quickly. Long and rapid strides powered her along somehow without making her appear to be running. Always in control, that was the image that she gave to those who saw her. A middle-aged woman powering her way without care through the corridors, never altering her course when faced with someone else. People got out of her way, not the other way around. Her attention was focused solely on what was going on in front of her as behind her a couple of soldiers struggled to keep pace whilst also debriefing her about everything that had happened. Their voices didn't register with her. She'd heard enough. She'd gotten to the stage where she was no longer even listening to the man desperately trying to justify his actions. Reading a couple of pages of the initial report had been enough for her to picture the scene and get a feeling for just what had happened.

Those who knew her could tell in a matter of seconds that now was not the time to bother her. From the moment that she had stepped out of her car and entered the building, she had been in what could only be described as a bad mood. There was no mistaking the shadow on her face. She meant business. Attempts had been made to try and soothe her anger but they had encountered nothing but a cold hostility and those who tried were sent packing one way or another. No doubt it would raise some questions as far as her superiors were concerned. It was strange how quickly the tables could turn and someone could rise and fall from favour when things started to go wrong, she mused. Granted, right now, she would make a truly excellent scapegoat. No doubt they would be saving her for in case something went truly horrifically wrong and death really did rain down from the stars.

 _Hypocrites._ She thought to herself with disgust. She always had hated politics.

The walls changed in colour slightly as they emerged into another series of corridors. They became white. Someone at some point had thought it made everything feel more like a hospital and less like a military facility. Money which could have been better spent elsewhere, she believed. Had she been in charge at the time, she would have kept it all the same. The men and women here she doubted wouldn't care what colour the walls were. They would be more bothered about what had lead them to end up in a bed here in the first place and the suffering which it would almost certainly entail. Most of those here were soldiers who had been wounded one way or another. With no real conflicts going on at the moment, most of the injuries were fairly mundane. The most severe, barring one prisoner, was a rookie who had somehow managed to stab himself in the foot by dropping his own bayonet.

Naturally, it was the one prisoner she was here for.

She stopped. Outside the room were two fully armed guards. A young doctor with short blonde hair and a pair of pink rimmed glasses was waiting. She stopped reading over her notes as soon as she noticed her superior approach. The dark look on the woman's face was enough to convince her to stay quiet and wait until spoken to. If nothing else, she would struggle to get a word in with the lieutenant still desperately attempting to justify his actions. The woman stopped just in front of the door but said nothing.

Her gaze rested on a bed just inside. The window was too small to allow her proper visibility but she could make out the body lying there motionless. The words of the solider were nothing more than white noise to her right now. Although she wasn't able to see everything, she didn't need to. Her imagination, whilst apparently not as great as some, was more than enough to picture what she would find waiting for her in there. That one single thought was enough to make a part of her she had never truly succeed in dominating want to turn back and run away. Through those doors was the result of a series of choices she had made and which had finally come back to haunt her. Her friends had teased and told her quite seriously that it would happen. She'd never imagined that they would be the ones who would end up paying for it.

Finally, her subordinates' words began to register once more. It was through gritted teeth and a mounting anger that she listened to them. Closing her eyes, she briefly attempted to block them out before finally giving in:

"You don't arrest a man with bullets!"

It was a yell. A furious yell. For a split second, her self-control was gone. It manifested its absence by a wild look in her eye. The corporal she had snapped at shrunk away, putting some distance between himself and the woman. It took a few seconds for her anger to ease a little, enough for her to begin thinking clearly once more at any rate. Her breathing slowed, becoming relaxed. In an instant, she had regained her calm and composed exterior. Straightening herself, she allowed her cold glare to finish the talking. No doubt the man had got the point. Letting out a frustrated grumble, she turned back to the door, dismissing him with a wave of the hand. He was something that she could and would deal with later.

Her attention travelled back to the bed she could make out the corporal apologized profusely before scurrying away. Maybe he considered that he was getting off lightly… Whatever the case, he was banished from her mind mere moments later. From this angle, it was impossible to make out face of the man lying on the bed. In a way, that made things easier. She found herself wondering if he knew where he was and more importantly that she was there. Behind her, the young doctor timidly dared to approach. She waited however, preferring not to risk disturbing the commander's thoughts and figuring that she would address her when ready. Finally, after what seemed like a nail-biting eternity to her subordinates, the commander let out a heavy sigh, lowering her eyes to the floor. She didn't turn to face the young woman before asking:

"How is he?"

"He was lucky, it's just a flesh wound. Another half inch and it would have been his tibia. Naturally we operated as soon as possible." The woman turned back to her clipboard as she read over the information. "He regained consciousness a couple of hours ago and is coherent."

"I take it that you have him restrained."

She received a small nod in the guise of confirmation. Still the commander's eyes didn't leave the bed. Of course they would have ensured that he was unable to escape. Given the nature of their prisoner, no doubt extra precautions would have been taken. She hadn't bothered to check up until this point, assuming that someone somewhere would have thought of it. It was a dangerous and somewhat naïve assumption and not one which she would usually have made having learned the hard way on a couple of occasions that unless you specifically pointed certain obvious things out to some people, they would neglect them. She blamed the amateur mistake, which fortunately had been unfounded concern, on her current scattered mind. So much seemed to be going on right now and none of it she could control.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, everything was slipping through her fingers. Promises and friendships crumbled. All that mattered was orders and the lives that they entangled. Those whom she had cared for and loved were forced to become secondary concerns as the existences of thousands could suddenly be erased in a matter of seconds. There was no comfort for her, no more Thunderbirds to turn to for a last minute rescue. Never before had she felt so alone. Through all of this, she was forced to maintain a cool detachment and keep herself from showing even the slightest sign of emotion. This was just work. That was what everyone would have to think.

"Is he well enough for me to talk to him? I'd like to get his version of what happened for cross-examination purposes." It was a pitifully thin veil which she used to cover her true motives and she knew it.

"Of course, Ma'm..." There was a pause as the doctor hesitated for a moment. "It's a bit strange, he's been very well… Polite… About all of it."

"That's not strange, that's just him."

Unwilling to spend any more time under her men's gaze, knowing that silently and secretly they would be judging her. Be it good or bad, she couldn't run the risk of appearing weak in front of those supposed to be following her command. It would have been dangerous enough at the best of times but right now, it could potentially be catastrophic. Deciding not to waste another moment, she entered the room. No one followed her. She didn't know if they would rather give her some privacy or were simply aware that right now she was in a bad mood and that it would be a bad idea to crowd her.

Her anger vanished almost as soon as she had stepped into the room. There was only one patient there. This was a secure ward. She took in the heavy duty metal bars on the windows. Naturally they couldn't be opened without a key and were made from security glass. Nobody was getting in or out without a fight. Brown eyes drifted up to face the security camera in the corner of the room. There was no point trying to lie about the fact that she had come here. Her superiors would know. They would disapprove unless she made at least something of an effort to pretend that she was interested in anything other than the health of the man. They would be listening. Over the years, working more or less under the radar with International Rescue, she had perfected an act. If anyone thought that she was anything other than completely dedicated to their job, it would be perceived as a weakness. Now more than ever, she had to appear to be the cold woman who wouldn't hesitate to sever any ties she might once have had if she was told to.

As she drew closer, her heart sank a little. She recognised the man easily. He had lost weight since the last time they had met. Grey now dominated his hair. He looked tired. It would have been quite a few days since he had been able to benefit from a good night's sleep no doubt. The level of stillness he had been able to achieve was rather impressive. Lying with his head turned so as to look out of the window, he didn't even appear to be blinking. She had to briefly check the heart monitor to ensure that he was very much still alive. Somehow, the middle-aged man even managed to breathe as if all of his bodily functions had been muted. His right leg stuck out from the thin sheet which covered much of his body. Naturally, she found herself focusing on the bandages for a moment. There was no blood there, the commander trusted that the doctors would have done a good job. The handcuffs keeping him chained to the bed almost physically hurt her. Without even willing it, she found herself comparing him to the man that she had first known all those years ago. What would Jeff have said of them if he could see them now?

To anyone watching, all of her unease and distress manifested simply as a blink.

If the man was aware that she was here, he wasn't letting on. His green eyes were focused solely on the world outside of the window. It wasn't much of a view, The courtyard of the GDF was hardly the most picturesque sight in the world, least of all when a barbed fence permanently cut him off from the freedom he valued so dearly. That she imagined would be infinitely more interesting than this room he had been confined to for the past few hours. Some might have questioned whether the drips currently pumping fluids into him were also sedating him, a quick glance confirmed that it was mainly painkillers and antibiotics. Whilst he most certainly wouldn't be feeling 100%, as the doctor had assured her, he should at least be conscious and aware of the world around him.

The woman didn't have all day. She had at least a hundred other things which would and should be more important than standing here. This was a task that another could easily have dealt with. Yet she had wanted to do it personally. Standing there and seeing the state of the man, she almost found herself regretting it. It was a painful reminder of what she had done - perhaps not personally but the men had been acting on her orders. That was in part why she had forced herself to come in. It wasn't healthy to become distanced from the consequences of the choices that she made or what her orders actually entailed. For a few seconds, her eyes flickered up to a camera focused upon them. This silence couldn't last much longer, no matter how justified it was. The woman didn't want to be the one to break it. Because of those listening, she wouldn't be able to do it delicately. It would have to be in the form of an interrogation as if this prisoner meant nothing to her. Letting out a sigh, she opened her mouth ready to speak.

"It's been a long time Valery..." The man's voice was a little croaky but otherwise carried some strength behind it.

"Yes..." She didn't know what else to say. "It certainly has."

"You're well I trust?"

It was rare for her to be thrown off kilter. Yet somehow the lack of aggression or even reproach managed to affect her more than any harsh words ever could. She didn't quite know how to respond to the question. It was so simple and out of place that it left her completely baffled. It was the first time that someone had shown any concern for her well-being in quite some time. A few words, that's all it would have taken. She knew that the kids worried about her but they always assumed that she would ultimately be okay. That was what she struggled day in and day out to make them believe. If the man was asking, it was because he knew her and was one of the very few who could see through the deceit that she wore on a daily basis.

The truth wouldn't do, not when others could hear. Her lack of response caused the man to turn his head to face her. She frowned, her brown eyes turned to steel in an effort to enforce the fact that this was not the time for pleasantries. He would know that of course. After all, he hadn't been shot in the leg by the GDF because they'd mistaken him for a cat burglar. For the time being, she decided to humour the man and answer his question:

"I'm as good as I can be in this mess."

"Good. I myself happen to have been shot." He was very manner of fact about it. If there was any anger there, he was good at hiding it.

"Yes. They told me." Her eyes flickered down to his leg for a moment. "You'll live though. They told me you fled when they confronted you?"

"I did."

It was difficult to doubt the version of events given by her men. She could picture it in her mind's eye. They had knocked and understandably the man had fled. The mistake had been opening fire to stop him. They had been fortunate in so far as they had missed anything vital. They hadn't even claimed that the man had been armed. The fact that he had still been in his house baffled her. In his position, she would have left it as soon as this had all started. It wasn't as if he couldn't have seen it coming. The man was smart enough to have known that sooner or later they would becoming for him. That and he'd been a part of the very organisation which was now keeping him captive. It puzzled her superiors and in truth it did her as well. Although she felt she knew what answer she would receive, it didn't make things any clearer in her mind:

"You could have fled. Why didn't you?"

"You know why..." The man's response was more of a grumble than anything else.

"A strange way to help."

If their positions had been reversed, she wouldn't have sit around waiting to be caught which was what he appeared to have done. She would have fled. At the very least, it would have been an attempt to avoid capture. If possible, if she knew how, she would have made an attempt to try and locate the others so as to try and assist them however she could. In Casey's mind, even being on the run would have been preferable to being a prisoner. Right now, he wasn't in any real danger outside of potentially a little bit of jail time for technically resisting arrest and even that would be if he was exceptionally unlucky. Given the fact that she was no longer calling half of the shots around here however, if that had been his gamble then it was an exceptionally risky one to take. How long would they tolerate his presence knowing just who he was? It wouldn't be long before someone somewhere got desperate and tried to use him as a lever.

For a moment, the woman wondered if it was precisely because their positions weren't reversed that she couldn't understand. Her eyes fell back upon the shackles keeping him in the bed and ensuring that he couldn't possibly escape. She frowned as she starred at the man's face, trying to decipher just he was thinking and pondering just what had gone through his mind.

"With me in here, she doesn't need to worry about me."

"You're assuming she's level-headed enough to think about it like that." Casey's irritation became clear as she narrowed her eyes. "That girl of yours, you realize she's-"

"Spirited." The man let out a soft sigh before smiling fondly. "Just like her mother."

Casey would have said "reckless" and "uncontrollable" but then she wasn't the kid's parent. That honour went to a woman who had left this world long ago. All she knew was that contrary to what the man might have believed, she was unlikely to take the news of his arrest very well. The hot-headed young woman was liable to run head in if nobody was there to keep her under control and talk some sense. God help anyone who got in her way but she wasn't invincible, not as much as she perhaps thought that she was. The colonel was aware that even her friends and adoptive family had trouble keeping her under control. Given that the two hadn't exactly been keeping in touch recently, she had to wonder if the man had realized that they were no longer talking about a mischievous little girl with a cute grin and a knack for getting into trouble…

She let out a frustrated sigh. The man remained perfectly calm, offering her a pleasant smile. She wasn't entirely sure if the severity of the situation hadn't quite dawned on him yet but she doubted it, he was no fool. He must have realized that this was pretty serious. Of course he would have, he'd just spent over an hour in the operating room being patched up because of it. There was something almost soothing about the man's presence and attitude. It was as if all was well with the world and there was no need to worry. He seemed to think that everything would sort itself out in the end. The colonel just wished that she could believe it.

There was a brief silence, one which unfortunately brought back the fact that they weren't here for an idle or friendly chat. Her eyes flickered up briefly to look at one of the cameras. No more than a split second, it was just enough to remind her why she was here. The man let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a few moments. Putting on her best "business" face, Casey continued with the cold detachment she summoned specifically for situations such as this:

"Have you seen her recently?"

The man's eyes shot open offering her a clear warning glare. As even-tempered as he might be, his family was one thing that could cause him to snap. She was on thin ice. It wasn't a threat, not a direct one at least but he would know why they were hunting them, why he had been arrested in the first place… Gritting his teeth, the man turned to face her completely. The calm kindness vanished, replaced for a moment with the harshness of a man who she knew was more than capable of defending not only himself but those he cared for. In her heart of hearts, she knew that he would never harm yet. Yet for a split second, she saw behind his green orbs perhaps the ability to do so.

"I won't tell you where she is Casey." His voice was lower now, more of a grumble than anything else.

"You mean you know?!"

"A father must always protect his child..." His voice trailed off for a moment as he closed his eyes. "...No matter what."

Suddenly, it became clear. She felt that she understood what he was trying to accomplish in this apparent act of folly. Unless Scott and Kayo were being especially foolish and careless, there was no way he could have known where they were. Not when the GDF had been unable to track a single member of the extended Tract household using all of the means at their disposal. She found it unlikely that he had been able to do so from his living room given that on all accounts, he had barely changed living habits since the crisis had reared its ugly head some days ago. She struggled with the urge to smile as she caught on. Unfortunately, with the cameras in place, she couldn't afford such an obvious tell. A dangerous game old friend… The woman thought to herself but it was perhaps one she could help him play.

"They paid you a visit, didn't they?"

The man remained silent. His gaze travelled away from her, focusing itself solely on the ceiling above him. To many watching, it would seem like he wasn't denying it. Casey, thankfully knew that it was impossible, she likely wouldn't have asked the question in such a way if she had thought it was even remotely possible. Thankfully, the visit that she had received the night before was enough to convince her that those two weren't likely to be going to the United Kingdom any time soon. The GDF were desperate right now, after the best part of a week being unable to track down six youths and their rather large craft wasn't exactly making them look good. Nobody wanted to be the one to have to explain to the Mechanic why they were still empty handed. Her superiors might be willing to overlook some irregularities if it meant even the faintest hint of a lead. That was what she was backing on.

Taking a couple of steps closer, she narrowed her eyes, waiting patiently for the man to turn back to face her. His stubbornness persisted for a moment as the Colonel wondered how best to play things. The crease on her brow deepened briefly as she pondered the matter. Perhaps, the lack of an open denial would be enough to justify her upcoming actions. Right now, it was a risk that she was willing to take being acutely aware of the danger that her friends' children were in. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, she found herself drumming her fingers mindlessly against the bedside table. An old habit she had developed long ago but not one which she had ever been able to rid herself of.

Sitting down on the chair next to his bed, she closed her eyes letting out a sigh. She wished that she could have told the man that the kids were alright. They were coping like the little warriors that they were and had been forced to become at a very young age. Unfortunately, as that little red light on the camera kept on reminding her, anything and everything that she said here was potentially being listened to. Being in the dark couldn't be pleasant as far as the man was concerned, sadly it was somewhere that he was going to have to stay for the next foreseeable future.

"What's to become of me now?" The man finally broke the silence causing her to cease drumming her fingers as she raised her head to look at him.

"As soon as you're fit enough, you'll be moved to a secure cell." She spoke the words in a matter of fact leaving no room for the emotion she felt. "Since you did technically resist arrest-"

"Forgive me for running away from guns."

Casey struggled not to snort with amusement. Her friend always had had a way with words and seemed to be able to use them so as to bring a smile to her face no matter what the occasion. It was a fool's hope to clutch onto but she wished that at some point in the future, they would be able to laugh about all of this. It would be just another one of those stories which they told each other as they shared some drinks and reminisced about days gone by. For the time being however, they were going to have to be patient and wait until the situation resolved itself, one way or another.

The colonel got to her feet, she had done all that she could here. It was debatable whether or not she should have come in the first place but now it was most definitely time to leave. She would have to trust her old friend to the doctors of the GDF. She doubted that the man was any real danger from a medical point of view. The thought however of essentially abandoning him at a time like this didn't sit very well with her. In an ideal world, she would have stayed with him or at the very least paid him a visit from time to time. In the current situation however, she couldn't afford the luxury of actually displaying emotions. He was now a prisoner, someone she would have to deal with coldly and take a certain distance from if she wanted to avoid being the next one to abruptly find herself behind bars. Giving him a final glance, she declared:

"I'll be going now, we're trying to call Lee Taylor back from Mars. You can imagine what that's like..."

"Be sure to tell me how his interrogation goes. I take it he still struggles with names."

"We're working something out with pictures and name cards, no that that will change anything." Casey shook her head disparagingly as she found herself picturing the muddle she would be in if they ever succeeded in convincing the man to leave the rock he now called home. "Not that it matters anyhow, I doubt any of the boys are up there."

"Then why look?" Kyrano furrowed his brow slightly in confusion.

"Leave no stone unturned old friend, you're the one who taught me that."

A knowing smile traced itself upon the man's lips as he grasped what she meant. It might not be that easy getting Lee to see her true motivations. The man always was rather simple and a good deal less slippery in that respect. Having called him earlier, she already knew they were in for a bumpy ride as far as all things interrogation were concerned. Several expletives later, he had let her know that he had absolutely no intention of helping her track down any of "Jeff's boys". She believed him. That didn't change the fact however that right now a sizeable GDF task force were being assembled ready for a lengthy trip to the moon.

She bid her "farewells" to her old friend, promising that he would be kept up to date with the situation but choosing not to bring up the somewhat touchy subject of his still missing daughter. Not a lot of it seemed to register with the man anyhow. He became grave. His green gaze focused solely upon the ceiling above him as if it somehow held all of the secrets to the world around him. Casey understood, he had done his work. Said what he had to say. It wasn't much but in his mind, it was all he could do for someone he hadn't seen or as far as she was aware talked to in well over a year. Turning her back, the colonel began putting some distance between herself and the man. She didn't like being around him like this. Once she left, he would become a figure much like the ones she was trying to locate at the moment. Just another life hanging on the line of this insane mess they seemed to have found themselves in.

"Casey… Keep them safe."

In a way, it was a very simple request. She had promised to do just that a long time ago when the various children had first been born. Right now however it was an impossible task. He would know that. She was in two completely contradictory positions one as guardian to a group of individuals, the other as colonel of the GDF currently tasked with hunting down said individuals. It wasn't simply a matter of refusing to do the latter, far too many lives were at stake for that and it had been made perfectly clear to her that quitting was not an option. Even if she were to 'disappear', someone else would take her place. It was a fair bet that they might not have the same qualms as she did about the mission and current state of affairs.

The kids were on their own or just about. She could offer no protection. The night before had been an exception. She should have turned both of them back without remorse. In a way, she felt that she could understand what had gone through their minds: mainly fear and the need to find someone to help guide them along. The colonel closed her eyes trying to block out the images of her friends' faces. Could Jeff have done any better than she was doing right now? She honestly didn't know. The woman lingered for a moment in the middle of the room. Her mind occupied by a thousand thoughts and the urge to scream for help struggling to escape from her. It took all of her years of accumulated composure and self-control not to turn around and scream at the man for making such an absurd request which he knew full-well she couldn't deliver on. Instead, it was with a quiet but level voice that she answered:

"You know I can't promise that Kyrano."

"No…" His voice trailed off painfully as he closed his eyes once more before finally turning away. Finding it impossible to stay in the room any longer, she began to walk off. Her friend's last words to her were no more than a whisper."-but I know you'll try."

Emerging from that room felt a lot like surfacing from the dark depths of an ocean. She found herself struggling with the urge to gasp for breath. Those last few moments had been amongst some of the least pleasant of her life to date. Given her rank and experience, that was saying something. It proved to be a constant battle to keep the friend and perhaps more human side of her in check. The emotionless machine was beginning to have some desperate trouble preventing any of the emotions from boiling over.

The sight of a couple of captains brought back to her just why she couldn't allow herself to break. It wasn't just International Rescue she needed to worry about. The men and women under her command, for the most part all good people with families and loved ones to worry about were in many ways just as scared. They had been given only a handful of tasks to prevent death from raining down, currently they were failing at the single most important and were yet to yield a decent result outside of some of Scott Tracy's spilled blood and the arrest of a middle-aged Malaysian man who was hardly the mastermind behind the organisation. The Mechanic was man whose patience Casey would rather not try.

It was with a determined look and authoritarian voice that she gave her orders. It was essential that she appear to be both confident and in control of the situation. One small crack in her defences and everything could come crumbling down on top of them like a house of cards.

"Prepare a force to go to the UK, I want every inch of the Kyrano household searched!"

"You think they went there?!" The corporal in question was a relatively young woman with fiery red hair.

"When all is said and done, they're just kids running scared." The Colonel informed them all the while thinking back to the haggard faces of Scott and Kayo she had seen just hours before. "They're going to run to people they think they can trust."

The argument seemed to be enough to win them over, not that they were the sorts to question orders too much. They nodded once before hurrying off to get ready for their various assignments. Yet another day of scowering the globe in search of International Rescue who had proved to be better than she could ever hope at going to ground. Well… With one exception. The commander lingered next to the door for a moment, trying her best not to think about her friend on the other side. She began plotting her next course of action. It was always the same problem: there was so much to do that she simply didn't know where to start.

She was awoken from her thoughts by a solider who tore round the corner. He was running as fast as he could. Instantly, alarm bells started to go off in her head. As soon as he spotted her, his eyes lit up confirming that it was indeed her he had been looking for. Given the current situation, Casey was almost sure that meant bad news. There was no way right now she could ever receive anything that she would be glad to hear. Unless they had managed to locate project Sentinel that was. She waited for the man to catch his breath as he stopped just in front of her. Brow furred, her eyes travelled over him for a moment as if looking for some kind of clue as to what message he might be bearing. When he finally pulled himself together enough to raise his gaze to meet hers, she instantly picked up on the dilated pupils and look of utter terror on his face.

"What is it?" Concern marked her voice as she turned to face the man.  
"It's him ma'm! He's waiting on line one for you."

Nothing else needed to be said. Casey raised her eyebrows briefly before stepping past the man, leaving him there to recuperate. In a split second, everything else was forgotten or at least it became secondary. She walked as briskly as possible without appearing to be panicked or otherwise running. All the while, a thousand nightmare scenarios had began forming in her mind as she struggled to think of possible answers and solutions. Why now? She found herself wondering. They'd heard relatively little from him and nothing of enough significance had happened to prompt him to contact them, surely… Naturally, it was impossible not to think about the worst possible case. She tried to banish those thoughts from her mind as she entered her office.

The colonel paid little attention to the comfortable décor. She offered herself a brief glance in the mirror to ensure that she looked presentable before taking a deep breath, reading herself. Her heart was beating like a drum as she headed over to the desk. It was hard to chase away all of her fear as she pressed the button to open the communications link. She was human and right now the knowledge that a madman essentially had the power of life and death over her and everyone else under her command was enough to send a chill down her spine. She forced herself to remain brave in the only way that she knew how: making herself made out of stone and trying to forget that she had anything even resembling a feeling.

When the figure of the Mechanic flickered onto the screen he was met by an icy cold glare which made no attempt to hide its dislike or apologize for it. Silence hung in the air for a moment, Casey half expected the man to say something to explain just why he was calling up. When the explanation was a little slow in coming, she decided that she would get a small detail off her chest.

"One of my friends was shot for you today."

"Aiman Kyrano… I am aware."

Casey frowned. Of course he knew. The man seemed to know absolutely everything. Hacking GDF systems seemed to be a piece of cake for him. No doubt he was aware of half of the things going on before she was. There was that pause again. The unspoken hatred that she felt was palpable even for the colonel. She made no attempt to hide it as she might otherwise have done with certain other individuals. Pretending that she didn't mind hearing from him and was happy with the current situation was definitely not something that she was currently up for. It was difficult to appear to be relaxed, if cold, when in the presence of someone that she loathed quite as much as this man. There was a part of her which simply wanted to scream right now and tell the man to get lost and leave those she cared about alone, in some rather choice language naturally.

"I find it unlikely that Tanusha Kyrano will have gone to him." The man continued after a few moments.

"You of course would know." Casey narrowed her eyes in something of a challenge.

"Do not play me for a fool Casey."

There was a threat there clean as day. One which they both knew she couldn't react to. How she wished she could have laughed it off. Being unable to act hurt her pride badly. She fancied herself a woman of action. In her youth, she had been quick to anger. If it weren't for the satellite and the distance between them, she would have liked the opportunity to show the man who was boss. The lives which currently depended on her caused her to bite her tongue so as to avoid snapping back with a sarcastic comment. She sat a little straighter in her chair frowning disdainfully at the punk but forcing herself none-the-less to remain silent.

It didn't come as much of a surprise that he had been able to see through her attempts to send her men on wild goose chases. In truth, it was wonder it had worked as long as it had. Perhaps their initial apparent bout of success with nearly killing Scott Tracy had caused him to believe that she might have gotten rid of her lingering loyalties to International Rescue in order to assure the safety of the rest of the world. In truth, he wasn't entirely wrong. There was precious little that she could do for them right now. If he'd caught on, then it went without saying that she was going to have to stop if she didn't want to risk angering the man whose finger occupied a very big and dangerous trigger right now. Frustration mounting, she demanded:

"Why did you call?"

"I have some new toys for your men to use." The response was calm and straight to the point. Instantly a handful of schematics popped up on the screen. "I took the liberty of having them shipped out to half of your bases last night. I expect them to be in use by this afternoon."

Casey studied the schematics for a few moments. They weren't so much plans as an instruction manual and therefore something she could wrap her head around a lot more easily than some of the scientific techno-jargon that Brains had spouted to her on occasion. As much as she hated to admit it, she found herself realizing once again, as she contemplated the designs, that the man was a genius. These weren't little science projects that one might find in a high school fair. They were the product of a great deal of thought and effort. He must have spent hours dreaming these things up, fixing the problems and imagining their use in the field. They were perfect for something like this. She wondered how long he had been pondering the issue of just how to track the members of International Rescue once they had gone to ground. Perhaps, it was something he had been trying to solve since before he had even made his move with Project Sentinel.

Were it not for his somewhat sinister nature, Casey could imagine the GDF willingly buying these things off of him. That distressed her. It was a lot easier to run away from someone who didn't know what they were doing. The Mechanic waited patiently as she flicked through the documents, allowing her the time to understand them and imagine how they would be used. Her men certainly wouldn't struggle that much. That was what she was afraid of. One wrong move, they would be caught. A single mistake it would be their lives that their forfeit. Her gaze lingered momentarily on the schematics for a moment before finally she turned back to face the man who had brought the world to its knees. All the combativeness had left her, she turned to the man looking almost pleadingly as she asked:

"Why are you so scared of them? They're just kids… Make a deal. They won't be harmed and in exchange they won't get in your way."

The suggestion earned what she guessed was a frown – it was hard to tell with that darned mask and those goggles – from the man. He stared at her for a few moments as if she had just dribbled down her shirt. Casey managed to maintain the look without flinching or otherwise showing any other signs of unease. She wondered if the criminal was even actually contemplating what she had to say or had simply dismissed her words nonsense as soon as she had spoken them. She could have believed either. Over the years, Casey fancied that she had seen enough crooks to know how their brains worked and some of the motivations that lay behind them. In short, whilst she wouldn't call herself a psychologist by any means, there were certain things that she felt she could understand about how others thought and worked. That wasn't the case here. He was unpleasantly unpredictable which only made him more dangerous.

She didn't look away as she waited for her response. If nothing else, the Colonel told herself, every second he spent on the line was one less that he would have to hunt International Rescue or come up with any other plots. Finally, when he did speak it was in a calm, almost business-like manner:

"Honestly colonel I have nothing against International Rescue itself. What I'm not about to do is let those "kids" - as you put it – have an easy time, regroup and come up with some plan to stop me. If I thought I could just leave them be I would. As we both know however, they're unlikely to simply adapt to the new world order… Therefore I really have no choice, wouldn't you say?"

Try as she might, the woman couldn't contradict him. Not convincingly at least, so she didn't even attempt to. Before she could control herself, she let out a defeated sigh. Ironically, it was International Rescue's courage and their determination to always help others which would prevent them from helping themselves. She knew in her heart that even if she miraculously managed to convince the Mechanic to stop hunting them, there was no way those six (or their grandmother and Brains for that matter) were likely to agree to simply spending the rest of their lives in a world where a man had his finger on a button which could potentially wipe out a city. None of them would ever be able to rest if they thought that even one lonely soul needed help somewhere in the world. That meant this could only end one of a handful of ways.

That realization brought with it a painful silence. Casey didn't like to admit to being either powerless or beaten. Whilst she wasn't quite the latter yet, she would accept that at the moment she had little choice but to do what the man told her to and pray that somehow Jeff's sons and Kyrano's daughter managed to find their own way out of the mess.

"I trust you'll follow my orders and ensure that your men are equipped." The Mechanic's voice stirred her from her thoughts.

"You have a giant laser somewhere in space you're threatening to use, I don't have much choice but to follow your orders."

"See to it that it's done. I'm growing tired of waiting..."

He received no answer. The commander wasn't willing to give one. She was all too aware that he knew she had no choice in the matter. If a clock was ticking, it was for her. There was only so long the man would put up with a lack of results before she would be considered to be either replaceable or an enemy. In a single motion, she left her chair and got to her feet eager to put an end to their conversation if it could even be called that. Now that he'd given out his orders, she doubted the Mechanic had anything left to say. It wasn't as if he was the social type. A cold glare was all that she gave him as she waited for confirmation that he was done with her and that she could go now. It almost felt like a student waiting for the bell to ring. The silence was lasting for just a little too long for her linking. Finally, losing her temper, she prepared to turn off the computer. Naturally, it was then that the Mechanic chose to speak:

"Oh and colonel…"

"What?" The woman snapped losing her cool for the briefest of moments.

"I want them alive."

That one word changed everything. It called the woman's blood to run cold in an instant. She forgot about trying to conceal her thoughts and feelings for a moment. The colour drained from her face. Her mouth hung open for a moment, it felt as if a scream might be about to come. It would be one of protest, she would tell them to leave the kids alone and that he would have to go through her before he got anywhere near them. None of that came however as she gawked in complete and utter horror. Her mouth was dry. She couldn't speak. If she placed a hand on her desk, it was so that she had something to grip, something which allowed her to brace herself and conceal the shaking which had just started in her hands. Her gaze fell upon the man, she noticed the smirk on the man's face.

Somehow, he managed to summon enough presence of mind to finally mutter, stuttering slightly as she did so. The horror and disgust weren't even slightly masked and obvious to everyone who could be listening or watching:

"Alive?!"

"I would have thought you would have been happy. Aren't you their godmother after all?"

"I know what men like you do to people you catch 'alive'."

"The same as you do, I'm sure."

Casey closed her eyes, trying to block out the world around her. The GDF had done things she didn't approve of to say the least. She'd witnessed some of them. It cost her sleep sometimes, quite often in fact. Without wanting to, she found herself replacing some of the tormented faces from long ago with those of the sons and daughter of her friends. The image lingered in her mind for a few terrible moments. It didn't matter which one she pictured, each of them caused her stomach to turn. It took too long for her to be able to shake the image off. When she finally did, she was left feeling sick. She shot the man an icy cold glare, hoping that somehow he would be able to catch on to just how much she hated him. To her disgust, it only generated a cruel laugh:

"I leave matters in your capable hands, Colonel Casey."

With that, he disappeared leaving her alone in what suddenly felt like a giant and empty office. Disorientated, she could do nothing but stand there. The world felt as if it were spinning. She remained motionless as her head struggled to make sense of everything. She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at it. Bracing herself fully against the desk, she closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to stop the world from spinning out of control. It was almost impossible for her to think of anything asides the fates of those five boys and their sister in all but blood. A prayer hung on her lips, it was dismissed. It would do nothing. She could do nothing… A promise she had made long ago came back to her. One which she could no longer keep. The colonel clenched her fists, anger took over. With a single furious roar, she threw the entire contents of her desk onto the floor. It didn't matter. They didn't matter. Tears began to flow down her cheeks for the first time in a long while.

It was a painful reminder that try as she might, she wasn't heartless.

 ** _/_**

 ** _Secondary Author's note (regarding character names): I put this one here to avoid any potential spoilers. I couldn't find any information about what Casey's (at least the woman) and Kyrano's names were. I remember reading somewhere that Casey's was "Valery"? I can't recall if that was the fandom though. If anyone came up with it and wants it changed just say and I will. As for Kyrano, I just picked a random one. Seeing as "Kyrano" seems to be his surname, I.E. Tanusha Kyrano. Anyway, that's all for that little explanation._**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews. I also just noticed that for some reason, bits of a few of the previous chapters have been cut off. I'm guessing that I messed up somewhere when pasting them. Anyhow, I'm rectifying this. It's not much, literally the end of a couple of paragraphs. I apologize none-the-less._**

 ** _/_**

The rain drizzled down mercilessly upon them. It had been doing so for about the past four hours and showed no sign of letting up. The grey and dingy atmosphere made the forest seem cold, inhospitable. The tall conifers blew in the wind. It caused the leaves from those trees which had them to fall as autumn began to set in fully. There was a definite chill in the air which only seemed to make the day duller. The dampness seemed to seep into everything: the ground which had turned to mud, surfaces like metal which couldn't be penetrated were running wet, clothes were soggy, water ran down hair and threatened to make its way into eyes.

After four hours of being exposed to the elements, Scott Tracy found himself remembering just why his father had chosen an island in the south pacific to use as their base of operations. His gaze scanned the grey sky for the hundredth time that hour. He didn't know why he was bothering, it was still too early and if there was one thing which he felt was probably run like clockwork, it would be this sort of operation. The current weather conditions were only causing his nerves to become worse. Waiting wasn't exactly something that he excelled in on the best of days let alone with so much hanging in the balance. It felt as if every second he spent doing nothing could be used far more productively doing pretty much anything. Whilst he did nothing, his brothers could be getting all that closer to getting caught. It was a sensation which managed to burrow its way under his skin, driving him slowly insane. Apparently he had a thousand nervous tics, running his hand through his hair, pulling said hair, pacing, tugging at his sleeves… Apparently, it had a similar affect on those around him.

He passed the time as best he could, pacing up and down next to the truck. From time to time, he would kick at some fallen branches and twigs beneath his feet. There was no particular reason for it. It was something he did without even thinking about it or its consequences. The floor of the truck would be well and truly filthy if he went in with his shoes coated with mud as they were. It wasn't as if he had a second pair either. No doubt he would regret getting them this wet and dirty when the night's chill settled later on and he found himself with soaking feet. He paced once more, his attention although not entirely present was largely focused on the earth beneath his feet. From time to time, he would check the skies for any sign of their target. A pair of green eyes followed him as he went.

It seemed likely that Kayo was trying her best to ignore him. He knew full-well that his pacing irritated her. It did most people. Crouched in the back of the truck, she had the good sense to place a blanket over her shoulders to protect herself against at least some of the rain and keep herself a little warmer. In her right hand, she was clutching a pair of binoculars which from time to time she would raise to look at a ledge about half a mile away. That was what drew most of her attention when she wasn't busy glaring at him. She was much better at this that he was. She could wait, like a hunter stalking their prey. He suspected that the covert operative could easily have spent the next 24 hours out here in the rain if needs be if it meant getting what she wanted. He wondered if she worried the same way that he did. It was hard to conceive that she wouldn't. Perhaps she was simply better at keeping it to herself. He felt that she kept a lot to herself.

He glanced at his watch. It shouldn't be long now. The GDF would arrive shortly and about five minutes later, their target would show up to pick up the merchandise. That was the theory at least, Scott couldn't help but imagine a thousand nightmare scenarios and ways that this supposedly simply mission could go wrong. If everything went according to plan, they would just have to take a shot at the air mech. When it crashed to the ground, Kayo could download everything Brains needed and sent it do him via Thunderbird 5. They'd gone over the idea a few times on their way to the Canadian forest after leaving colonel Casey just before. Both of them knew what they should do and how it should be done. They were equally both aware that things could go wrong in a matter of seconds and that they wouldn't get a second shot at it. Once, they might be able to surprise the Mechanic but not a second time, he would either be ready and spring a trap or simply move the pick-up point to somewhere else that they either wouldn't know about or couldn't possibly reach.

Letting out a sigh, Scott finally became fed up of his pacing. Instead, he made his way over to the truck. Kayo was back to looking through her binoculars. She paid no attention to him as he joined her in the back. Bored and aware that time was marching on, he sat next to the young woman. Disturbing her would likely be a mistake. It could be dangerous for one's health to disturb the head of security when she was busy working, especially when it was something as important as this. He let her do her job, instead glancing out mindlessly into the forest. This truly was the middle of nowhere, with the exception of a small dirt road, there wasn't the faintest trace of human civilisation for miles around. The perfect place for an exchange like this. Picking up a pebble from near his foot, he tossed it out half interested to see just how far he could throw it. The answer was satisfactorily far. Some coffee would have been nice right about now.

"From now on, no more missions to anywhere where it's less than sixty degrees and cloudy."

"Better hope nothing comes up in Hull then." Scott chuckled softly at his friend's response. He wasn't about to admit that he was more than a little hazy about just where that was.

The binoculars were lowered. Using her communicator, Kayo checked the time. They had about ten minutes until they would have some company. The GDF could probably be counted on to turn up a bit before then. She closed her eyes resting her head against the back of the truck. He wondered if like him, she thought of their island home. Knowing that his brothers were well and truly alive had eased his mind significantly. There were still a thousand things worrying him but that single bit of knowledge allowed him to find at least some comfort and rest. There was no changing the mounting exhaustion of these past few days however. It was a different feeling to that he was somewhat used to experiencing on the island when he took part in back-to-back rescues, more draining, not just physically but also emotionally. With any luck, getting this information to Brains would allow them to end it or at least begin ending things… He wasn't entirely sure how much more of this he could take.

"What I'm looking forwards to-" Kayo didn't even bother opening her eyes as she talked. "Is a warm shower, a change of clothes and you losing that beard!"

"You don't like the beard?" He instinctively ran a hand across it, right now it was still more stubble than anything else.

"Not particularly..." The woman groaned as she shifted slightly. "We should probably call the others, make sure they're ready."

Scott nodded in agreement beginning to prepare himself. The others wouldn't be best amused by their radio silence. It was a technique Kayo used frequently when she frankly couldn't be bothered arguing with others or explaining herself. It drove him and the rest of the other members of his family mad, most from worry. Never before had he been the one to practice it. In the current situation, whilst he had recognised that it was probably a necessary evil to prevent the others from trying to talk them out of their plan, it none-the-less didn't sit very well on his conscience. They would be worried sick, especially given the mission they had set out on. Right now, radio silence could easily mean that the people on the other end had either been captured or killed.

He sat there with his heart in his mouth. Whilst he knew that they were likely in for a severe scolding from pretty much everyone, the thought of nobody answering was even more terrifying. It had only been a few hours since they had last talked, yet it seemed almost like weeks ago. Scott knew how much could change in only a very limited amount of time. In those few seconds, he held his breath praying that they hadn't made some sort of mistake which had lead to the other's locations being discovered. It didn't matter how unlikely it seemed (after all, the logical part of his mind knew that Brains and John would have taken at least some precautions) he was still scared to the extent that when his middle brother's face finally did materialize, he ignore the frowning look of disapproval and simply smiled enthusiastically. It felt as if he hadn't seen him in years.

"Ah! Good to see that you two remembered how to use your communicators!" There was no mistaking the anger brought on by fear in the brother's voice. "You guys realize that-"

"Not now!" Kayo's snap instantly caused him to become quiet. "We're about to try and get you a mech!"

"Patching you through to Brains now!"

There was a certain clipped tone that he used to let them know that whilst he was still irritated, he was going to do what they requested regardless. John's ability to instantly switch into a crisis managing Space Monitor would never cease to amaze his older sibling. No doubt that was why he was up there and not any of the rest of them, well, that and his ability to put up with solitude and a lack of gravity. A few seconds later, the faces of the rest of his family popped up. His grandmother was furious, a single glance was enough to tell him that much. As far as the others were concerned, relief seemed to be predominant. Still, the one look he was currently receiving from his elder was enough to make him want to run away in hide or at the very least start pleading for forgiveness. Just how she managed to muster quite so much icy fury into her eyes was beyond him.

Awkwardly, he fumbled mentally over his words, aware that he owed some manner of an explanation but also knowing full-well that they didn't have enough time for him to give one. He would be best simply telling them what they were doing and ensure that they were prepared for it. Presumably John would have told them about at least some of what was going on when he called them. It wasn't as if the plan was all that complicated. It basically involved shooting the mech down as it left and transferring the data on its hard drive to Brains who would no doubt know what to do with it a lot more than they did. After that, the eldest of the brothers imagined that it would largely be a waiting game.

"Be careful..." Angry though she might be, Grandma's protective instincts overruled everything else. "At the first sign of trouble, you two run. There will be other mechs, don't go risking your lives for this one."

"We won't." It was a half-promise and he knew it. "This should be pretty straight forwards..."

"Show time."

Kayo's statement instantly drew his attention. The young woman had gone back to looking through her binoculars. Turning slightly, he squinted struggling to make out the top of the ledge. He could see two small silhouettes but little else about them. He recognized the van next to them as being one typically used by the GDF. One of them remained looking out over the forest for a few moments whilst his companion got a large case out of the back of their van. The goods no doubt. The others drew silent, perhaps sensing the increased tension as things began to fall into place. Already, Scott could feel his heart start to beat ever faster as a knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Instinctively, he began to ready himself. The head of security reached over to a corner of the back of the truck and undid a blanket they had used to wrap up Casey's rifle.

In an ideal world, he would have liked to have tried it out a bit to ensure that it was zeroed in correctly. Unfortunately, a mixture of not having the time and not wanting to risk drawing attention to themselves had caused them to decide against testing it. They were just going to have to trust that Casey's father had done his job properly. They weren't going to get that many shots: one, maybe two if they were exceptionally lucky. Kayo held the weapon for a few moments before offering it to him.

"Here, you're a better shot."

"I'm not sure I want to ask this but where did you two get a gun from?" Alan eyed the weapon uncertainly as if he had never seen one before.

"Colonel Casey..." Scott muttered as he accepted the gun.

Picking up the weapon, he instinctively tried to get a feel for it. As an air force pilot, he'd naturally had some training with weapons and knew how to handle them. That being said, it was some time ago and his father had always had a rather strict "no guns" policy as far as International Rescue was concerned. They were meant to save lives, not take them. Perhaps that had been a mistake… Whatever the case, he hoped that he wouldn't be too rusty. There was an awful lot which was ultimately hinging on only a couple of shots. He tried not to let that thought dwell on his mind to much as he got into a position. He would be aiming for it when it was in the sky. There was no point bringing the thing down in front of the two GDF soldiers as it would mean that they wouldn't be able to reach it and it would all be for nothing. In short, it wasn't going to be easy.

He tried to ease his nerves, occasionally glancing to his companion who continued to survey the area with her binoculars. Not long now… Using the sight, he briefly contemplated the two men up there. Although Kayo assured him that they couldn't or rather "wouldn't" be spotted from where they were, he remained somewhat dubious. It was hard to conceive how they could be standing up there and not notice the truck. It was true however that their gazes were fixed primarily on the horizon, no doubt searching for the incoming mech. They were probably more concerned about the Mecanic than they were the chances of anyone else being down in the forest below. He could understand that.

A quick gesture from the young woman drew his attention. Without saying a word, she pointed to the sky. Instantly, he spotted the mech incoming. It was no more than a dot on the horizon but one which was rapidly approaching. He held his breath instinctively as it flew overhead. He didn't know why he bothered, he found it unlikely that the machine would be able to pick up on such a slight action as a human being breathing and if it could, well then they were scuppered from the start. The eldest of the brothers found himself shrinking away instinctively, like a mouse in a field of long grass which had just spotted a hawk. It was some comfort that Kayo didn't, she remained sitting as she followed the machine's course through the binoculars. It landed and instantly began loading up its cargo. There were no pleasantries with machines, just a ruthless efficiency. One which humans struggled to match. As far as he knew, the Mechanic had no human helpers, only robots of one kind or another to do his bidding for him. The GDF soldiers stepped back, allowing it to do its work without being disturbed. It wasn't landed more than a minute before it was back in the sky.

Instantly, Scott got back into position. Looking down the gun's sight, he took aim carefully. His hand were probably shaking a little, he tried to calm them down slightly. Briefly, he offered his friend a glance. She still had her eyes fixed on the two GDF soldiers up on the ledge. Her hand raised, she signalled him to hold on for a little longer. They seemed to be lingering there a little too long. Hopefully they didn't intend to wait until the machine had vanished from sight. The rest of the family listened silently through the communicators, no doubt with their hearts in their mouths. He felt his finger on the cold and now damp metal trigger longing to fire. It took all of his self-control and calm to wait for the signal. He could see his friend's clenched teeth as she cursed silently under her breath, willing the two men to leave. The machine would be out of range soon which would mean they would either have to wait around for the next one or come up with another plan. Either of which would add on yet another coat of danger for them to have to deal with.

"Now!"

He didn't question Kayo. He simply did as he told him and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked like a mule. For a second, he thought it might have dislocated his shoulder. He managed to muffle a yelp. Blue eyes darted up to see if he had made it, aware that a miss would mean disaster. There was some smoke and sparks up there. For a moment, it looked as if the mech might be about to be able to continue on its flight. It struggled for another couple of yards before suddenly its wings gave out sending the machine tumbling down into the forest. It must have landed about a quarter of a mile due west of their position. A triumphant smile crept onto his face as he turned to Kayo. The young woman's gaze remained fixed upon the sky before travelling back down to him.

"Target acquired, we're going after it."

She didn't give the others time to respond before hanging up. Scott raised an eyebrow, surprised by the brusqueness of her action. Surely she could have kept the on the line the time it took them to reach the downed machine. He hopped down from the back of the truck turning around to see Kayo still standing there. The young woman looked lost in thought for a moment, her gaze kept on travelling back to the ledge where the two men had been standing mere moments before. It lingered there for a moment, too long for his liking, lost in thought there was something grave about her expression which unsettled him. Frowning slightly, he noticed that she was busy undoing her communicator still with her attention focused on that blasted hill. Truly concerned, her name lingered on the tip of his tongue. As if somehow she managed to sense it, the head of security turned round to face him.

She jumped down off of the back of the van, joining him. A soft and gentle smile made its way onto her face, somehow it didn't quite manage to hide the sadness. Without saying a word, she handed him her communicator. He just gawked at it mindlessly, unable to understand just why she was presenting him with it. Letting out a sigh, he understood in a couple of seconds that he wasn't going to like what she had to say. She pointed back up towards the ridge.

"Van's still there, I didn't see them get in." The woman glanced over her shoulder, eyes rapidly scanning the forest. "I think they saw us."

Instantly, his eyes darted back up to where she was pointing. Sure enough, he could make out the vague outline of the vehicle. Naturally, he trusted her when she said that they didn't think that the soldiers had gotten in. If nothing else, he found it hard to believe that they wouldn't have driven off by now. Panic struck him as he realized just what was going on. Those two men would be making their way down towards him. They would be armed and they would kill them if they spotted them. Worse, in all likelihood they would have radioed what they had seen in and right now the GDF would be mobilizing. Suddenly, cutting radio transmissions seemed to be a good choice. So why was Kayo..?

"No..." Realization took over, causing his blood to run cold.

"There's no other way." Despite everything she sounded strangely calm.

"Yes there is. We've got to run, Kayo!" He made an attempt to get to the truck only to find his path blocked.

"You know as well as I do we might not get another choice at this Scott!" She forced the communicator into his hand. "Now, you take this and get Brains his data! I'll keep them busy."

He shook his head. That was exactly the sort of plan that Kayo Kyrano came up with. The sort of stupid heroic thing which put herself in danger in the name of one way or another stopping the bad guy. It had almost cost her her life on a couple of occasions. There was a steeliness behind her eyes, one which left little room for debate. She was right of course. Now that they had shot down a mech, the Mechanic would likely be on to them. They wouldn't get a second shot. This was it. All or nothing. Still, he couldn't accept that this right here could be the price for that. He clenched his fists, desperately trying to become as strict and commanding as his father had been on occasion. It was a difficult task when he knew that she was right. He sounded weak, pleading:

"No… I'm not leaving you!"

"This is not open for debate!" Kayo pushed him back roughly before taking some steps back. "Get that data and come back to the van. Honk the horn once, if I'm not back within two minutes, you leave! You hear gunfire, you leave!"

Before he could argue any more, she ran. In a matter of moments she had vanished deep into the depths of the forest. He stood there, torn. A part of him wanted to give chase and drag her back to the truck by force if necessary. On the other hand, he was acutely aware that they wouldn't get another chance at this. Failure would potentially lead to them being trapped and unable to act. Lingering, doubts and fear spiralled round in his mind, rooting to the spot. Slowly, his gaze fell upon the portion of the woods where the mech had crashed. The more time he spent here debating with himself what to do, the more likely GDF reinforcements were to arrive. The head of security was already outnumbered, time was against both of them right now.

Taking a deep breath, he took off into the forest. He took the largest strides he could manage, powering himself along. Back on the island, he prided himself on being the fastest of Jeff's sons and not only in his Thunderbird. Right now was the time to put all of that boasting to the test and make good use of the long legs genetics and nature had seen fit to get him. He quickly realized that the ground was slippery from the constant rain as he almost fell due to the mud. Thankfully, he managed to grab a hold of a nearby tree branch which he used to steady himself. Gasping from the fight, he only spent a few seconds motionless before beginning his mad race once more. As he passed by the trees, he found himself wishing that John was here to guide him along and hoping that he would be able to find his way back to the truck once he had reached the machine. Perhaps the mud might actually be useful there, in theory, all he would have to do would be to follow the footprints he was leaving and he would make it back alright.

Finally, just as he had began to panic, his eyes caught the glint of something orange up ahead. It was the mech. Upon falling, it had taken quite a few tree branches with it. He considered himself fortunate that he wasn't going to have to try and come up with a way of climbing into the heights of one of the pines to try and retrieve the thing. As he continued running towards it, he fumbled around with Kayo's communicator, in an attempt to re-establish a line with the others. He was desperate to save every second that he could. John popped up a moment later, surprised to see him and not the young woman it would seem.

"Scott? Where's Kayo?"

"She's keeping watch." It was a lie which made him feel sick. "I just got to the mech. I'm going to need Brains to talk me through this."

"Connecting you now."

Up on board the Space Station, John managed the connection between the two. He floated with his arms folded across his chest as he listed to the island's resident genius' instructions. Scott naturally followed them to the letter. His older brother seemed a little out of sorts, almost panicked. It wasn't like him. Then again, given the current situation it wasn't that difficult to imagine that even the first responder and unofficial 'team leader' would be more than a little shaken and therefore nervous. Hopefully, if they could get the data then Brains would be able to locate the Mechanic and ideally project Sentinel whilst they were at it. Then, finally they could set about bringing this whole nightmare to an end.

His attention wandered for a moment. Discretely, he turned to look at Alan. He didn't pick up on his older brother's nerves. He knew his sibling wasn't naive but right now, he was perhaps more able to focus on only the good as opposed to noticing the few little things which didn't quite seem right. He tried to relax a little. For the time being, everything appeared to be going to plan. As if somehow by magic, Ridley's gently brushed her hand against his. It wasn't much, just a brief show of affection. She knew him well. He was far from sure that he would have felt comfortable around his little brother and EOS if it had been much more. There, on the corner of her lips, she offered him a soft and gentle smile. It was a silent message, one only destined for him: _all is well_. Tentatively, the Space Monitor returned the gesture. He allowed himself to take comfort from the other and believe that things were going to work out.

The illusion was shattered in a second.

"A GDF ship is nearby!"

EOS's childish voice seemed to clash with the seriousness of the situation. Eyes wide, his attention darted around the command hub rapidly as if he half expected them to be in there with them. His mind had began to work in overdrive as he struggled to think of what to do next. A terrifying silence set in. All had heard the AI's warning. Scott still in the woods knelt next to the mech frozen in place. Brains, exchanged looks with Gordon, Virgil and Grandma. For a few moments, none of them could even begin to talk. Terror prevented them from opening their mouths in the slightest. Panic replaced everything, even the common sense and quick thinking they usually relief on in situations like this.

"Have they spotted us?" Alan's voice wavered slightly from fear.

"I don't think so however they will be able to detect our systems if their current trajectory remains unchanged in two minutes."

Two minutes. That wasn't enough time to do anything. Desperation taking over, John headed back over to the command panels calling up an image of the ship in question. It wasn't a match for Thunderbird 3, not in the slightest. Thunderbird 5 however was less of a space ship and more of a space station. Whilst she wasn't exactly a sitting duck or completely helpless, there was no way that his trusted craft and home would be able to outrun a GDF cruiser. That was to say nothing of the weaponry it would likely have and its crew who would also probably be armed. They had a Mustang, he had a camper van, only Alan had a Formula 1 racer and would be able to get out if the need arose.

There was no more time for pondering the matter. If he did, then they would be discovered for sure. It wasn't just his life at stake right now but also that of his brother and Ridley, not to mention EOS. In an ideal world, he would have liked to try moving what had been one of his father's last gifts to him, anything to avoid it falling into the GDF and, by unfortunate extension, the Mechanic's hands. Time meant that it was no longer an option, that and they had burned almost half of Thunderbird 5's resources just getting here. Even if they did get away, there was no guaranteeing that they wouldn't end up stuck drifting helplessly through space. Hardly a more desirable fate. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he realized that they would have no choice other than to take a chance and pray that they went unnoticed.

"EOS, cut all systems! We need to dead in the water!" He turned rapidly to face his brother wondering how much time they had left. "Alan, Ridley move as many supplies as you can into Thunderbird 3, if we need to move quickly, make sure that she's ready."

"What about you?" He wanted to tell Alan that it was all going to be alright but right now, he couldn't muster the strength to do so.

"I'm going to keep watch from the ring…"

"He'll be fine." Ridley placed a hand on the younger sibling's shoulder encouraging him along. "Come on kid, I could do with some help."

Alan didn't waste another second, realizing how important every second had just become, he headed out of the door to do as he had been told. John watched as the lights gradually began to dim around them. Computer panels flashed briefly in order to inform him that things were being turned off. Anything that could cause the GDF to believe that there was someone living up here needed to go. He was under no allusions as to just how rough it was going to get namely freezing and increasingly limited oxygen. It wasn't as if they had much of a choice right now at any rate…He closed his eyes as if felt as if his ship was dying around him. EOS slowly made her way over to him. She stared at him for a moment as only the AI could. There was no human expressions there to recognize, still he knew that she could understand what he felt. Her comprehension was perhaps a little childish at times but right now, she could grasp how much all of this was hurting him.

"I'll have to put myself on standby…" The lights underneath the camera slowly began to die away, one by one. "Good luck John..."

"Thanks EOS."

He watched with a heavy sleep as his friend, some might argue his child, fell asleep in a desperate attempt to keep them hidden.

Scott remained frozen in place as once more his family's faces abruptly vanished cut off as the Space Station went dark. Naturally, he began to assume the worst. He could practically picture the scene in his head. John, Alan and Ridley would be able to offer next to no opposition in the face of a fully armed GDF task force. That was if they weren't simply shot out of the sky (well, out of space) as soon as they were spotted. Raising his gaze, he found himself looking up to the sky and desperately wishing that he could get to his family. They needed his help. This felt a little bit too much like losing his father all over again for his liking. Desperate, he tried to think about what he could possibly do. Sadly, his mind remained blank. There was simply nothing that he could do when they were so far away and he had no way of possibly reaching them.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. They'll be okay. _John's up there, he can look after Alan and the kid's smart._ He repeated those few statements again and again to himself in a desperate attempt to ease the shaking in his hands and the terror which had gripped him. They would be okay. They had to be. He gripped his trousers in an attempt to give himself, something, anything to hold onto. There, in the darkness, the rain stopped registering. He allowed himself to retreat back into the confines of his mind. He needed to try and clear his head. It was a trick his father would have him do sometimes if he thought he was getting too wound up about something. Deep breaths, they didn't make things better but they allowed him to think more clearly.

A beeping caused him to open his eyes and look down at the communicator in his hands. Two words had appeared on the screen "Download complete". He frowned as he went through a couple of the files. There it was, all of the data Brain's had wanted. Rather than being sent to him, when the communications link had been cut, it had downloaded the content directly to the communicator. Impressive. It would have been good news if he knew what to do with it. Unfortunately, there was only really Brains, John and maybe Virgil he knew of who would be able to make sense of the information it contained. Still, it was better than nothing. Unplugging the device, he got to his feet. Time to make it back to the truck. They would have to devise another plan. This data might not be worthless, they could perhaps come up with another way to get it to the genius. Alternatively, they might be able to make some sense of it themselves…

A gunshot followed by brief scream cut through the silence of the forest like a knife.

 _Kayo…_

A terrifying stillness settled upon the air once more. There wasn't a second shot fired. Just a deafening silence. Scott stood there for a moment, rooted to the spot. The sounds echoed through his ears, mixing together to form one of the most terrible noises he could conceive. It struck horror into his very heart. He felt dizzy, queasy. He took a staggering step forwards. Then he couldn't stop. It didn't matter that he might be running into an onslaught of bullets or that if everything was quiet now the chances were that was because one way or another his friend was no longer fighting. He didn't ponder what that would mean for her, nor what it would mean for him. All that mattered was that she was in trouble and needed help.

His legs couldn't carry him fast enough. He only had his ears and memory to guide him to where he felt that she should have been. His heart raced. The image of his friend lying on her side with a bullet through her heart was conjured up in his mind. Try as he might, he just couldn't shake it. It lay plastered there behind his eyes like some nightmare he was living even whilst awake. He wanted to scream her name out and let the young woman know that he was coming for her. Had he not been running quite so fast then maybe his lungs would have allowed him to do so.

Finally, his eyes fell upon the familiar form of the head of security of International Rescue. He came to an instant stop upon seeing her. She was lying face down in the mud. Next to her were the unconscious – at least he hoped they were unconscious – bodies of two GDF soldiers. Naturally, for those first few seconds he feared the worst. Then, he noticed her move. The young woman shifted slightly, pulling herself up so that at least her face was no longer in the dirt. Her eyes met his. She froze. He remained fixed where he was. It was strange, he wasn't thinking anything in those few moments. He wasn't even sure what he felt. It was a bizarre almost trance like sensation. Relief, maybe? The charm was broken when Kayo let out a pained groan and struggled to her knees. Snapped out of his daydreaming state, Scott shook his head unintentionally flicking some of his hair into his eyes before breaking into a run once more.

By the time that he had reached his friend, she was on her knees. She'd had a fright or was in pain judging by the way that she was catching her breath, her hands still deep in the mud as if they were serving to hold her up. It took him a moment to realize that she was shaking. Initially, he passed it off as simply being her shivering from the cold. The young woman was well and truly soaking. If the rain wasn't enough, by the looks of things she'd taken a tumble and gone for a roll in the mud. Her entire right side was covered in it as was most of her face. He hesitated for a moment. Whilst he was inclined to give her some time to pull herself together and calm down, he was also acutely aware that they couldn't exactly afford to stand around here all day. His eyes flickered over his friend, trying to spot any obvious injuries or wounds that would need tending to. She'd definitely screamed and the situation was such that he was pretty certain at some point, something had happened and she had been hurt.

"I thought I told you to run..." It was a low grumble, one which failed to mask a mixture of pain and irritation.

"We both know that was never going to happen." His tone was soft, kind, worried. Carefully, he crouched down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"One of those guys shot me." Kayo gasped as she reached round with her left arm to try and grab at something on her right shoulder. "There's something stuck there."

"I see it."

In all honesty, he hadn't the foggiest what it was but he didn't like the looks of it. It was a small black circle, probably no wider than an inch in diameter. It looked metallic. Curious, he stretched out his hand and as lightly as possible brushed his fingers against it. Kayo shuddered instantly causing him to recoil. Growing increasingly concerned, he narrowed his eyes and came a little closer, inspecting it more thoroughly. Whatever it was, it had latched onto the young woman's shoulder which remained tense. He wondered if he might be able to pull it off. He was about to try, when he noticed the patches of red. He didn't need a doctor to tell him that was blood. Whatever it was, it was physically digging into her. For a moment, Scott wondered if he might be able to tear it off of her if he was quick enough. It would be rather a lot like pulling off a plaster or some tape.

A strong gust of wind convinced him that this was neither the time or place. He needed better light and somewhere where he wouldn't be buffeted by the elements quite so much. Right now, they needed to get back to the truck and back on the road if they wanted to avoid getting caught. His attention fell once more onto the two unconscious GDF soldiers. He noted the presence of some of their equipment strewn out all over the floor. Least of which was a gun, no doubt the cause of the shot he had heard earlier.

"What happened here?"

"I thought I'd try to ambush them. Got one..." She winced as he tried to get up and contented herself for remaining on her knees. "I didn't take into account the mud. I slipped. The other guy had enough time to shoot me before I could react. Got a punch in too."

"That's not like you." There was a gentle laugh behind the comment, a tease, anything to try and lightened the atmosphere.

"Even I can-" The young woman stopped coughing loudly. "-Get it wrong sometimes..."

He didn't respond, smiling softly. The young man tentatively reached out, cupping her face in his hands. With his right thumb, he gently brushed some and the mud away. It smeared her skin along with some blood. There was a slight cut next to her left eye. She offered him a watery smile, one which didn't quite manage to hide the fright that she must have had. He knew that Kayo sometimes didn't seem to realize her own mortality. When she was reminded of it, naturally it came as quite the shock. He contemplated giving her a hug, something to try and ease her nerves comfort her a little. The head of security had a different idea however as she placed a hand on his shoulder and used it to push herself up from the ground. He rose with her, helping her to her feet. She swayed, uneasy for a moment before pulling away from him.

For the briefest of moments, he contemplated offering to carry her but as she began to move away, limping for the few steps before adopting a more natural motion, he decided there was probably no need. Kayo didn't exactly appreciate that sort of offer. Seeing it as a show of weakness on her part or him thinking that she was some kind of damsel in distress. They gradually began to make their way back through the forest. Kayo was cradling her right arm slightly. Worrying but given what was currently digging into her shoulder, he supposed it was to be expected. The sooner they could find a way to get that thing off of her the better.

Upon making it back to the truck, they hurried into the back. It would at least be slightly warmer in there and more importantly it was sheltered from the elements. Scott searched for the first aid kit they had with them. Upon opening it, he found himself rather disappointed as he was met with bandages, some string, a pair of scissors, some antiseptic and a few band-aids. Nothing which could possibly be useful for helping his friend right now. He closed his eyes wondering what they could do. He could always try yanking the thing off but if it was well and truly anchored to her skin then that might prove to be unbearable for her. Perhaps if he could get her to a doctors? The thought was instantly dismissed as he found himself remembering that they were currently being hunted. Perhaps if he inspected a little better then they could determine just what it was and work out some way to get it off of her.

Something tapped against his shoulder. He turned to face Kayo offering him a rather large hunting knife. Notionally it was part of the survival equipment they had taken with them. He frowned slightly, looking at it dubiously. He didn't much like where he felt this was going and as such, refused to take it for a few moments. The look in his friend's eyes turned a little colder. She gritted her teeth from a mixture of pain and frustration before telling him:

"Try and pry it off. I don't care if you have to take a slab of my shoulder to do it, just get this thing off of me!"

"That's going to hurt." It was an obvious warning to give as he took the knife.

"Better than the alternative." Kayo turned her back to him as she spoke. "Pretty sure this thing's a homing beacon."

Scott nodded, a pointless gesture when he thought about it, she couldn't exactly see him right now. Her theory made the most sense to him. That being said, he'd never seen a tracker quite like this one. Usually they were small things which could be slipped into someone's pocket or briefcase when they weren't looking or discreetly attached onto a piece of clothing. This little beast was something else entirely. He tried his best to slip the blade between the device and the flesh. The alternative would be physically cutting it off which he doubted he had the skills or, frankly, the stomach to handle. Kayo tensed up as soon as he started. Steadying himself, he tried not to react. They were both aware this was likely to be unpleasant. The young woman gritted her teeth as her fingers dug into the fabric of the back seats. Forcing himself to continue, he managed to slip the very tip of the knife between the machine and his friend's shoulder. Holding his breath, he forced himself to drive the blade a little further, trying to ignore the muffled whimper he got in response. There was some more blood coming now, he couldn't tell if that was as a result of the knife or simply the action of trying to pry away the machine which had anchored itself to her flesh.

Then, suddenly it just came off. It fell onto the back of the seat. For a moment, he feared that the thing might suddenly develop some life of its own like some creature from a horror movie and start scampering around in search of a new piece of flesh to latch on. It didn't move however. It took a little while for him to dare reach out and pick it up. He did so carefully, as if he were handling a deadly explosive which might detonate at the slightest shudder. Raising it, he examined it carefully. It was a nasty thing. There were four large pincers as sharp as blades which were responsible for digging into her flesh. He could see blood there clear as day. In the centre of the device was a longer almost needle-like piece of metal. With it out of her, Kayo turned around to have a look. She grimaced upon laying eyes upon it.

"That's not typical GDF gear." The young woman rubbed her afflicted shoulder slowly.

"You think the Mechanic's been giving them some new toys?" Scott handed her the little device, glad to have it out of his hand.

"It wouldn't surprise me..." She winced briefly as she turned to look out the window at the forest. "We'd better move."

"Yeah, you're right. Problem is-"

"Hey you!"

Scott jumped at the sound of another voice. Instantly, explaining how the communicators had been cut became a second priority as he saw the figure of one of the two GDF soldiers changing out of the woods towards them. Kayo cursed loudly. Without thinking twice, the eldest of the brothers clambered over the top of the seats and into the front. Suddenly, the head of security's logic behind leaving the keys in the ignition made sense. With a rapid motion of the wrist, he started up the engine, not bothering with buckling up. He was quickly joined by his friend. She didn't complain at his being behind the wheel. Reversing for a couple of yards, he turned the truck around speeding down the road as fast as he could. He felt the car struggle in the mud. His heart raced fearing that they might get bogged down. A second later they were free and tearing down the road as fast as their vehicle would allow.

He checked his mirrors, trying to make sure they weren't being followed. Thankfully, he encountered only an empty road in front and behind them. Kayo winced as she tried her best to settle herself into the seat. With gritted teeth, she lowered her gaze to look at the tracking device in her hand. The young woman turned her head to look at him.

"Next service station you see, stop at it."

"Can't you hold? I mean we're on the run here!" He was usually patient where these things were concerned (with four younger brothers he'd had little choice) but right now didn't quite seem like the right time.

"I don't need the toilet you idiot!" Whilst there was some humour there, Scott also detected a certain amount of exasperation brought on by pain. "I'm thinking if we can dump this little beacon then we might be able to send them on a wild goose chase for a bit."

He nodded. Agreeing silently with the plan. It seemed like as good a way as any to try and lose their would-be followers. Out here in the Canadian wilderness, it was a good few miles before they encountered any gas stations. He took the opportunity to tell his friend about just how the attempt to transfer data to Brains had gone. Namely it's catastrophic failure and that right now even as they spoke, John and Alan could be on board a GDF ship being dragged back to Earth. She said nothing as she listened to his tale. Her eyes were closed and for a moment, he found himself wondering if she might have either fallen asleep or passed out. Eventually, just when he was starting to worry and wondering if he should have been looking at the maps to work out where the nearest hospital was, she gave him a simple reply telling him that they would find some way around it. It was impossible to argue with her logic. They would have to think of something if they wanted to survive this.

When they reached the gas station, he left Kayo in the truck to recuperate for a bit. He felt a little bad for the driver of the articulated lorry where he chose to conceal the tracker. The poor man would likely find himself surrounded by GDF troops somewhere down the road and wonder what on Earth was happening. Sill, it was a price he was willing to pay if it meant that they could have a few more seconds to get away. Cautious not to linger too long, he made his way back to the truck. With his mind still preoccupied with his brothers in space, he found as he sat down in the driver's seat once more, he had absolutely no idea where to go. Instead, he simply sat there with his hands on the wheel staring out in front of him. Head north? Head east? Back to the desert? Try as he might, he couldn't find the answer.

"We're going to have to ditch the car..." Kayo groaned as she sat up a little straighter. "Find somewhere to rest. If you're looking for something to do."

Turning to look at his friend, he offered her a weak smile. She was right, they would have to deal with each thing as it came and work out some new plan in-between. Right now was not the time to admit defeat.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I've been a bit busy with all the holidays. Thanks again for the review! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!_**

 ** _/_**

The snow had fallen fast and thick outside. It was now several feet deep in some places. The Swiss Alps were coated with the thick powder. In the early morning sun, it all seemed to sparkle in the light as if someone had decided to dump a thousand minuscule crystals on the landscape. Icicles hung from the pine trees like stalactites in a cave. Everything was perfectly still. It could have been a painting which lay just beyond the windows. Not so much as a gentle breeze stirred the world outside. As if someone the freezing temperatures had even managed to stop time itself, preserving the one single moment for all of eternity. In a little while, the illusion would be broken when the snowploughs arrived or the first skiers decided to take to the slopes. Until then, the silent spectacle was enough to entertain a tired pair of blue eyes as they carefully ensured that nothing outside had changed since they had gone to bed last night.

The lack of an armed presence reassured the man who headed over to a control panel and launched a quick scan. No perimeter breaches detected. He let out a soft sigh. After the best part of a week, some might have been inclined to say that they were safe here and out of their enemies' reach. The years had taught him however that you never could be too cautious when it came to watching your back. Especially when those looking to stab it were so numerous and possessed so many resources.

The man checked his watch, 7.28am. Yes. It was about the right time now. Slowly, he entered the kitchen. Whilst the small chalet on the side of the mountain was secluded and at least from the outside looked to belong to the traditional architecture, the inside was far more modern. The designer had ensured that the décor was luxurious and practical. Given the nature of the building, why anyone had bothered with all of the expensive and comfortable furniture, the way that everything had been carefully laid out and planned, the fact that there was a porcelain tea set here which cost as much as a car… It looked more like a holiday home than anything else. It was only the name of family who had had it constructed some years ago off of the radar which could clue others into just why it was the way it was.

Tea was carefully measured out and placed into a pot where it was brewed to a precise level, neither too strong nor too weak. A fine art which took quite some time to master. He had learned a long time ago just how to make the perfect cup. Naturally, tastes varied from person for person but it was possible to come up with a brew which would suit almost everyone who tried it. Right now though, he was only catering for two. Well, two and a half… It allowed him to alter the mix a little to a level he would enjoy and he knew was favoured by the young woman upstairs. He poured out a cup before putting it down on a large tray.

Carefully, he carried it up the stairs. It was something he had become more than a little used to. It was almost second nature now. Still, it didn't quite feel the same here. He was quite used to carrying out his duties away from home, especially given the nature of the family's affairs which often lead them to travel all over the globe in the name of one social event or another. This still felt alien. It was possible to relax. No matter how hard he tried or how frequently he reasoned that they were safe here, he was never totally at ease, always looking over his shoulder, becoming startled by a shadow. It was the same thing that had driven them to first take refuge here he suspected. That same threat which loomed over them polluting everything. Even the beauty of the country surrounding them turned dark as soon as he paused to focus on just what was going on. The man let out a sigh trying to rid himself of those thoughts which had been troubling him since they had first arrived here several days ago.

Straightening himself, the man concentrated solely on fulfilling his duties. It was the best and perhaps only way that he knew how to keep on going. Not only did it allow him to take his mind off of matters, even if only for the briefest of periods but it gave him a purpose, something to do which didn't involve sitting around waiting. He couldn't tell how much time he had spent dusting, preparing tea or otherwise ensuring that the car was alright but it all served the purpose of preventing him from going stir crazy. If he did succumb to it, he trusted that he would likely end up doing something foolishly brave and try and solve this whole mess by his lonesome. Sometimes he felt like a stupidly courageous move would have been better than the sensible one…

At the top of the stairs, he stopped in front of a pine wood door. Using his tray carrying skills, he managed to carefully balance the tray in his left hand whilst he used the right to knock carefully. It was an unnecessary precaution. He knew full-well that the young woman would be up already. She always was. Even before he heard the answer from the other side telling him that it was alright to come in, he could picture in his mind's eye what he would find. There would be a pretty young blonde woman sitting on top of the bed, not under the covers. Despite the fact that she hadn't left her bed, she would somehow still appear to be largely immaculate. Her sorrowful blue gaze would be searching the horizon longingly as if she expected to see something coming over it at any moment. All the while, she'll be stroking a little pug which is curled up in her lap.

He didn't say anything as he came over, offering her her cup. It didn't matter if it took the young woman a little while to react or even acknowledge his presence by claiming her tea. He didn't complain or even make an attempt to draw his attention. Finally, some unknown force, perhaps simply the aroma originating from the warm beverage served to shake her out of her daydreaming state. Her eyes pried themselves away from the window and fell upon the drink once more. Carefully, she picked up the mug in the most elegant fashion possible, just as she had been taught to do from the youngest age. The woman said nothing until she had taken a slight sample of the drink trough a small sip. A soft smile graced her lips.

"Perfect, as always. Thank you, Parker."

"You're welcome m'lady." He bowed his head briefly in recognition. "Shall I bring the dog's meal now?"

"No… Bertie and I will have breakfast together. Isn't that right?"

The pug barked once enthusiastically. Trust the promise of food to cause the mutt to get up. The manservant knew people who ate worse than the dog did. Ever since it had been brought into the household as a pup, it had been spoiled rotten and been treated naturally to only the best there was to offer. No wonder the little beast didn't take 'no' for an answer. Still, he made the young woman smile and was worth putting up with for that reason alone.

He left the room, allowing the lady to finish her tea in private. There was plenty more which needed to be tended to. They might not be in the manor right now but he was still able to keep himself occupied by fulfilling various tasks throughout the course of a day. It was more the young woman he found himself silently worrying about. Although she never brought it up, he knew that she would be worrying about her friends. It was impossible to conceive of her doing anything else. They both agreed that right now there was comparatively little that they could do, not without potentially putting the others in danger. Getting captured was something best avoided, Parker knew the Tracys comparatively well he felt. Which meant that he knew that if it came down to it, they would hand themselves and their crafts over if they thought it would spare one of their own. That meant that they couldn't afford to put themselves into a situation where they could be used as leverage.

He began to prepare breakfast. They had enough supplies to last them quite some time, months if they were careful. As such, he made an effort to create diversity. Anything to ensure that the days did not become monotonous. Boredom could be a terrible enemy, especially if it was allowed to fester. He had hoped that this would only be a brief set back and that in a day or so the rest of International Rescue would have found a solution to the mess and that everything would be back to normal by now. Unfortunately, as the days rolled by that was looking less and less likely. They had set the end of the seventh day as being their benchmark, if they hadn't heard anything from their friends and allies by then, then they would have to act on their own initiative and try to find a solution to the problem, even if it meant putting themselves and potentially their allies by extension at risk. Whilst the ageing man hoped that it didn't come to it, he was increasingly aware that with every passing hour the likelihood of them having to abandon their safe house in an attempt to face the chaos of the world outside was increasingly large.

A sharp pain alerted him to the fact that he had just made a mistake. He looked down to see the chopping board. Because of his daydreaming, he had allowed the knife to slip, injuring his right index finger in the process. Acting quickly, he managed to spare the brioche. The man let out a curse under his breath, feeling free to do so in the absence of the young lady or her father both of whom thoroughly disapproved of such language. He ran some cool water from the tap, taking care to avoid any blood getting on any of the surfaces. It wasn't a bad cut by any standards. Nothing that some antiseptic and a plaster wouldn't fix. In the past, he would likely have thought nothing of it. A mixture of a heightened hygiene awareness since his employment as a law abiding subject and not wanting to raise any concern from his employer, he would see to it that he tended to the wound. As he allowed the water to run over his finger, the man's gaze travelled back to the world on the other side of the kitchen window. The first few cars had appeared, many of which were becoming caught up behind the snowploughs which struggled to clear the roads for the coming day. A clear blue sky occupied only by a couple of wispy white clouds promised a bitterly cold day. As the years marched on, he found himself gradually becoming disenchanted by the snow, preferring instead a gentle warmth like that of the Mediterranean. Just why they couldn't have chosen somewhere a little further south and not quite so high to find shelter was beyond him.

The sound of clattering claws against the wooden floorboards caused him to turn around. Sherbert was standing there. For a dog, Parker fancied that it could be almost unnaturally expressive. Somehow, he understood in a matter of moments that the pooch had been expecting breakfast to be ready and had come in to see just why the current house chef was running late. There was a demanding and indignant look on the animal's face which was impossible to mistake. He was only distracted by the dog for a few moments realizing that his owner wouldn't be far. The two had been stuck at the hip since that fateful Christmas morning when she had opened that box. Sometimes the former thief found himself wondering just what would have happened if he had picked a different puppy from that litter the girl's father had sent him to collect his daughter's present from… Perhaps he would have a somewhat less demanding canine to cater for.

Lady Penelope herself appeared more moments later. She stood in the doorway. Her eyes quickly flickered around the room. They travelled from the food, to the knife carelessly discarded to the man and the running tap, quickly and seamlessly putting together the chain of events as they went. Parker had learned long ago that there was no point in hiding anything from the young woman, she would find it out in a matter of seconds. As such, he was quick to present her with his wound so that she might see for herself that it was nothing to worry about.

"Sorry m'lady, the knife slipped out of my hand."

"No need to apologize Parker." The woman offered him an understanding smile. "You go get that patched up. I can take over here."

"You mi'lady?" It slipped out before he could stop himself surprised by the offer.

"Oh, I'm quite capable of preparing breakfast." A knowing smirk told him that she had taken his reaction as something of a challenge in the form of doubt. That would mean that she was most definitely going to give it her all. "Don't worry, I won't burn the place down."

He decided against expression his dubiousness any further, knowing that it would only serve to stoke the woman's fire even further. Instead, he decided that he had better move quickly. The sooner he had his little cut all bandaged up and tended to, the sooner he could be back by the young woman's side. He doubted that her pride would allow her to let him continue where he had left off and finish the cooking himself. He might however be able to watch over her shoulder and keep an eye on what she was doing. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't trust her but as a lady, cooking wasn't something that had typically been required much of throughout her life. There had always been somebody else to do the task for her. Still, the idea of her Ladyship cooking was intriguing enough to prompt him not to say anything when he returned to the kitchen. He was genuinely curious.

As it turned out, she was a perfectly decent chef. Far from a perfect one or a master but Parker genuinely enjoyed the food which was more than he could usually say for the few times he had been foolish enough to sample Mrs. Tracy's cooking. They ate in relative silence. Any real conversation would come later following their morning's routine of watching the news. The television had become largely their sole connection to the outside world. Through it, they waited anxiously to see if they would hear that they no longer needed to fear the Sentinel in space or that their friends and allies had been captured or worse. It was perhaps the most terrifying few moments he could imagine. The uncertainty caused him – and he was fairly certain the young woman as well – to physically feel sick.

Standing behind the couch, as the lady sat with her loyal canine companion on her lap as she mindlessly ran a hand through his fur, the ageing manservant waited silently with his heart in his mouth. Up until today, they had been relieved to find that their friends seemed to be able to elude the world security forces, remaining ever out of their reach. That morning however a distantly familiar face appeared on the screen. To his shame, Parker didn't immediately recognise the features of the middle-aged man. They rung a bell and as soon as he saw them he knew it wasn't good news. It was only when the name was brought up that he realized just who it was. The man remained as composed as possible, realizing that this could only lead to trouble. He said nothing, watching the report terrified but powerless to react. The young woman also seemed to be under a similar spell, eyes wide but seemingly unable to move.

Finally the report changed, going back to talk about the usual: financial troubles, one politician or another in trouble… They seldom watched any longer. No need to trouble themselves with any more of the world's troubles. The mess they were in already threatened to overwhelm them. Even as the holographic television was turned off, the young woman remained fixing the wall behind blankly. No doubt her brain was processing what they had learned, trying to think of how to react. Like him, she would be wondering if there was anything that they could do. Any way to help their captured friend. Physically, it would be possible. Incredibly risky but possible. It was the feasibility which troubled him however so much as what would happen if something went wrong. Their lives had never been simple or danger free since joining International Rescue – Jeff had warned them of that much when they had signed up – naturally, he was inclined to want to try and help the poor man. Common sense told him however that trying to free him may very well make things worse. After all, the charges raised against him as they stood were fairly mild.

"Well..." The young lady's voice shook him out of his thoughts bringing him back into reality. "That was distressing."

"I can't h'imagine Miss Kyrano will be very pleased about that."

"No… I can't imagine that she will."

The woman remained sat down but added nothing else. The silence which hung between them spoke for itself. Neither of them were entirely certain. Ordinarily, he might have suggested a course of action. The current situation prevented him from doing so. As he saw it, there was no easy or obvious solution. Acting would be dangerous and could potentially add only more hostages to the GDF and Mechanic's tally. On the other hand, doing nothing felt like something of a betrayal. It would all be different if they had established contact with the others and were able to form some kind of a plan with the rest of International Rescue. Unfortunately, they remained in the dark.

She would know this of course. Maybe that was the cause of the silence between them. It was an unspoken acknowledgement that they were stuck and unable to help. The manservant lingered for a few moments, standing behind the couch. There were words on the tip of his tongue which he didn't know how to speak or even if he should. It could be hard to tell with the young woman sometimes. Was there any way to try and comfort someone in a situation like the one which they now found themselves in? In truth, he had no idea. It left him stranding there awkwardly as he watched the lady slowly and mindlessly pet her dog. Even the mutt seemed to have caught on that something was decidedly wrong at the moment as it appeared to be far more subdued than normal. All of this felt like some dreadful nightmare they couldn't wake up from.

"Aiman always did have a tendency to partake in foolish heroics."

The voice behind them caused both to jump. Letting out an involuntary cry of surprise, Lady Penelope was on her feet in a split instant. Whilst she wasn't quite at the same level as International Rescue's head of security, she was far from helpless. Parker was quick to adopt a fighting stance. He balled his hands into the tightest fists he was capable of and raised them in front of his face, like a boxer readying himself for the upcoming battle. He refused to do so much as even blink when confronted by a man he knew to be every bit as dangerous as the Mechanic, perhaps even more so. Even Sherbert stood by them, tail and hackles raised as he growled in the intruder's direction. All three of them faced their unwanted guest, hearts thumping rapidly. The colour had drained from their faces from the shock. They had been caught off-guard and were unable to conceal that fact from the man.

Strangely, nothing happened. They simply stood there like statues, frozen in the moment. It was as if someone had pressed pause as they watched a scene from a movie. Parker wasn't even immediately sure if he was breathing or not. The only confirmation he had that he was still alive was the thundering beats of his heart echoing through his ears. There was something decidedly unnerving about the cold and arrogant smirk of the man in front of them. His green eyes seemed to taunt them. The manservant fancied that even if he had known nothing about him and had never laid eyes on him before in his life he would have felt a strong sense of aversion towards him. It was as if every piece of his body was screaming that this man was trouble. He hoped that he was able to maintain at least a semblance of composure so as to avoid appearing to be obviously petrified. As it was, there could be little doubt that he had surprised both of them. In a way, he supposed that was a good thing. If he had wanted them dead, he would have struck quickly and silently before they had the time to get their guard up. Either that or it was already too late and even if they did attempt to fight, it would be fruitless.

A cruel smile occupied the man's lips as he stood there glancing between the two of them. It was the sort of expression which made Parker's stomach turn with disgust and gave him a longing to punch the man in the face. If the intruder did sense that urge, he paid little heed to it, continuing as if nothing had changed:

"A bad habit he passed on to my niece I fear."

"What are you doing here?"

There was no mistaking or misinterpreting the venom in the lady's voice. She managed to channel all of her loathing for the man in only a few syllables. Many would have fled just hearing her tone. He didn't. If anything, the young woman's disdain and disgust only seemed to amuse him. Parker clenched his fists a little tighter. He far preferred it when they were the ones chasing the Hood. It felt as if they were in control of the situation. Right now, they had been crept up on. This could easily be a trap. Trusting Penelope to be able to keep track of the criminal himself, the ageing man allowed his attention to discretely wander. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in what was going on but rather aware that they were at a serious disadvantage. A slippery character had made his way into their supposed safe house. He was sure to have a few tricks up his sleeves. Finding a way to counter them or to at least equalize the playing field had now become vital.

He was brought back into reality by their foe taking a few steps. The man didn't come any closer, rather circling round so as to stand further away from the window. He cast a brief glance outside over the snow covered landscape before deigning to turn his attention back towards them.

"I would have thought it was obvious. I need your assistance in stopping the Mechanic."

Parker raised an eyebrow. He could only gawk at the man, wondering if it was entirely possible that he had misheard. A quick glance to the young woman by his side only seemed to confirm that he hadn't. Neither of them could think what to respond. He wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting. All of this had happened too soon for him. In an ideal world, he would have been able to stop time and talk the matter over with the lady. This was a matter best dealt with with mature reflection and contingency planning. Right now, they had their back to a wall as far as the Hood was concerned. Somehow, Parker doubted that he would take their refusal to help him would go down very well and given that he had invaded their house, it wasn't a far stretch to imagine that he would have some sort of plan should they refuse to cooperate.

Still… The fact still remained that this was the Hood. Their oldest and perhaps most formidable foe (although right now, he was rather inclined to give that title to the Mechanic) was not a man to be underestimated. Worse, he was hardly the most trustworthy of individuals. Parker found himself clenching his fists a little tighter, readying himself as the intruder made his way over to one of the armchairs and calmly sat down without an invitation. He sat there completely relaxed. His gaze travelled between the two of them, a bemused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He would know that frankly they didn't trust him any further than they could throw him. Yet his offer was one of peace, nor war, an alliance. Given their current predicament, it was an offer which had something of an appeal whereas a few weeks ago they would likely have refused flatly and accepted whatever consequences there were. That uncertainty caused him to remain hesitant and silent. He preferred to let his employer deal with such sensitive matters.

"I thought you and the Mechanic were partners." Lady Penelope very slowly sat down in the chair opposite as if it could potentially give way beneath her weight. Naturally, she somehow also managed to make the action appear to be graceful.

"Regrettably, I cut ties with him some time ago." The Hood placed his hands together as he continued his explanation. "At the time, I didn't consider him much of a threat. It was a mistake."

"So now that he's got a giant laser in space, you come running to us for help?" The lady raised an eyebrow, looking down at him somehow as she stood there.

For a moment, the smug expression that the man had been wearing since suddenly turning up vanished replaced by an unpleasant snarl as he realized he was being mocked. It didn't take much from what Parker had seen the get the crook's temper to flare up and Penelope had always had a way of getting under people's skin when she desired it. A trick which had served International Rescue very well on several occasions. Whether given the current situation it was a good idea to try and irritate the criminal he wasn't so sure. Still, if his experiences working for the Creighton-Ward household had taught him anything it was that more often than not, its youngest resident knew full well what she was doing and how to handle the situation. She certainly seemed to be relaxed right now, despite the man's change in demeanour.

"I don't know what you sound so smug about!" His voice was harsh and clipped. "Unless you haven't noticed, you are on the run. Your precious International Rescue has collapsed. You need my help more than I could ever possibly require yours!"

"We didn't come looking for you." She reminded him settling a bit further back into her armchair. "What do you think either of us could gain from an alliance other than a lifetime's worth of hate?"

Now it had become something closer to a business debate. That was something which Parker felt they could both perhaps slightly more easily relate to. He found himself relaxing slightly as he dropped his guard (at least his physical one, mentally he made an effort to remain sharp and alert least their guest suddenly decide to pull a fast one). Even Sherbert stopped his relentless growling in favour of heading back to his owner and jumping up onto her lap. It was Lady Penelope's turn to smile as she waited patiently for the man's response. The smugness had vanished from his face, replaced instead with a slight frown as he twigged that something had changed in their exchange. He straightened himself as if there was a desk between them. Now however, the ageing man found himself struggling to decide who was pitching to whom.

"Neither of us have the resources to stop the Mechanic and we're running out of time." Anger continued to mark the man's words as he continued with his explanation. "Working together, we can pool our resources. International Rescue won't trust me, as I'm sure you're well-aware. On the other hand, I don't think you know how to find them, do you?"

Penelope didn't respond, no sense in admitting to their own weaknesses. Her silence would only serve as a confirmation at any rate. They hadn't heard from any of the brothers or other members of International Rescue since the whole world seemed to have come falling down on top of them. Naturally, they had put it down to the protocol in place which in theory at least demanded complete and utter radio silence between them. In theory, they shouldn't be even remotely considering the Hood suggestion. They should have kicked him out as soon as he had shown his shiny head or better yet, arrested him. Not that they would have been able to do much with the crook at the moment, not without finding themselves locked behind bars.

The lady averted her gaze for a few moments, turning them towards the sky and wondering where up there, beyond the skies they would find the machine which had managed to scatter them. She remained lost up there. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned back to face the man. She was acutely aware that the clock was ticking. No matter how good their friends and allies might have been, every second they spent out there presumably alone and lost meant that the chance of them being caught out one way or another grew. The time had perhaps come for them to start thinking about setting up some plan to find a way to rescue the rescuers. Not easy given that as the Hood had pointed out, they had no idea where they were. Parker let out a sigh, he had a feeling as he took note of the almost pained expression of the young woman that he could sense the way that the winds were changing. Still, that didn't stop the crook from adding as a final sinister incentive:

"The countdown has already started and all that's waiting at the end of it is a series of six graves."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Author's notes: Sorry this took so long and a happy 2018 to all. Thanks once again for all of the reviews._**

 ** _/_**

Gordon rummaged through Thunderbird 2's supplies. A week in, there barely even seemed to be a dent in them. He looked down at the paper in his hand, taking a few more notes. Each of the large wooden boxes contained a series of cans. Three cans provided them with a decent meal. Water wasn't a problem, Thunderbird 4 was more than capable of treating the seawater to make it safely drinkable for them. Given the amount of ocean surrounding them, they wouldn't have to worry about running out of water. He closed the crate he had been rummaging through, counting it as all being complete.

Brown eyes scanned the paper he had been given. In the top left hand corner, his grandmother had left him with a list of things to check and ensure they had. It was imperative apparently, that they work out just how long they could last on this island. What would they do if they ran out of supplies? Nobody had dared talk about that one yet. He was still too busy adding all of this up. Opening another crate, he set about taking each tin out one by one. He read the labels carefully. Although these were rations, they weren't all the same. Whether someone had decided that a varied diet was important to prevent them from developing health issues or someone, presumably their father as he was the one responsible for most of their emergency protocol, had decided that it would somehow prevent them from becoming bored he didn't know. Whatever the case, it didn't seem to matter as he continued with the task assigned to him.

Picking up one of the cans, he checked the label. Canned beef. He didn't know how one could can beef. He just knew that it didn't taste quite as nice as proper beef and that they had tons of the stuff. He inspected another and another. With each one that he picked up, he took care to chose one from a slightly different part of the crate. When he reached twelve, he decided that it was probably safe to assume that they were all the same. A quick bit of mental arithmetic was then required. He added up the cans in front of him to get to a total which he then jotted down on his paper in front of the "canned beef" section. In the confusion, he had been unable to notice or perhaps hadn't cared to do so which rations were being packed. Virgil and Grandma had dealt with that. He had been a little bit too busy trying to usher his younger brother out of his bed and into his rocket to take note of what they would be eating for the next few days. At the time, he had rather hoped that rations wouldn't be something that they would be depending on for all that long.

Naturally of course, the world which seemed to never give them any rest had decided otherwise.

He let out a sigh. The paper suddenly felt heavy in his hands. He let his arms dangle loosely on either side of his body as he stared out in front of him at the opposing wall of one of Thunderbird 2's storage bays. How long had he been doing this? He knew why he was doing it and it wasn't because they absolutely couldn't do without a tally of all of their supplies that was for sure. This was yet another ploy to keep him occupied. Anything to prevent him from dwelling on their current situation and becoming bored. His family seemed to have a particular gift when it came to finding him work to do. Grandma especially would never fail to find a task of one kind or another for him to partake in. They were usually of the time consuming variety but entailed relatively little stress. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he took in the cool odour of the cans, wondering if it might be best if he called it a day now and went outside to see if his family had gotten any further with their planning.

It had been a day since they had lost contact with Thunderbird 5. Since then, nothing. It had been only silence which occupied the airwaves they had been using to communicate. He tried not to linger on the panic that had occurred for the last few seconds they had been able to see their brothers' faces. Things had happened so quickly they hadn't been able to properly realize what was going on, much less react to it. Any words of wisdom or simply to wish them good luck had been lost as silence had fallen. Since then, their little group had been too scared to dare try and contact the others. John and Alan would do so when it was safe they hoped. If they didn't, then it could only mean a few things, none of which were good.

He went back to checking their supplies. Anything to avoid thinking about that the silence which haunted them all right now.

Outside, Virgil and Brains struggled to find another way to potentially try to contact Scott and Kayo. The irony of the situation was that unless something had gone wrong for them as well, they currently had the data which could potentially bring an end to all of this. Hence why they had started to look for alternatives to Thunderbird 5. For a moment, there had been hope. They had been able to talk to one another, take comfort in seeing their faces and hearing their voices. It hadn't lasted long but it was enough to give them courage. Together, it felt as if they could take on the world. Separated, they were just vulnerable and if he was honest a bit afraid. It wasn't the fact that their plan had fallen apart which bothered him but rather that the GDF now seemed to be closer than ever.

The aquanaut emerged from Thunderbird 2 almost an hour later. The sun would be setting soon, he thought as he raised his eyes to the sky. Those few thin wisps of cloud had turned a wonderful pink which could only remind him of a certain person who was still unaccounted for. He let out a heavy sigh as he slowly made his way back towards the rest of his family. He had learned to recognise the signs of them growing tired and preparing to call it a day as far as fiddling around with technology went. He wasn't even too sure what they were trying to achieve right now. He didn't feel like asking. If there had been any major breakthroughs, someone would have come and told him. Any progress they made was slow. He supposed that they should have been grateful for anything at all given the circumstances. His family greeted him warmly, asking how he'd done and how their supplies were doing. He answered truthfully, explaining it to them.

Their conversations had become a little awkward since they had lost contact with John and Alan. Nobody seemed to know what to do. Talking about it only made matters worse. At least with silence, they had been able to put off lingering on the subject. At a little over 30 hours since they had been forced to sever connections, Gordon had decided that they could no longer leave things as they were: something had to be done.

"We need to go find them."

Nobody challenged his statement, he expected that they had come to the same conclusion. Still, it was greeted by the same silence that had been hanging over them for over a day now. He could understand why. Going looking for the others was a comparatively easy thing to say. They all knew that it was going to be hell on Earth. For starters, if John and Alan were still in space it was going to be practically impossible to reach them. As for Scott and Kayo, they had likely gone back to lying low and could easily prove to be almost impossible to locate. There was a reason their father had asked Brains to build Thunderbird 5. It made all of this stuff far more practical.

"Scott and Kayo will probably be heading back to their Thunderbirds." Virgil eventually spoke scratching at his chin thoughtfully.

"You think?" Brains peered up from his food.

"It's what I'd do. They don't know if and when Thunderbird 5 will be back online. None of us do." The second eldest of the brothers seemed deep in thought as he spoke, as if he were trying to put it all together as he went. "If they've got that data, they'll be trying to bring it here. Right now, it's the only way we can locate the Mechanic."

It seemed logical. Gordon tried to put himself in his eldest brother and semi-adopted sister's shoes. It was a difficult task. Usually, he tried his best to avoid thinking like Scott. He prided himself for being the prankster and chilled-out member of the family. He knew that the family's oldest was a bit of a hothead. With the head of security with him, hopefully they would have a plan all set out and have everything under-control. They were smart, capable and brave; more than a match for the Mechanic. At least that's what he told himself to be able to get to sleep at night. Perhaps that was the worst thing about their current predicament: not knowing…

Gordon pulled his knees closer to him as he sat on a rock. It brought some comfort. He turned his gaze back to the ocean for a moment. To think that somewhere out there, the rest of his family were struggling to stay alive. It was on a daily basis that he found himself fighting with the urge to climb into Thunderbird 4 and set course for the American continent. He would search every inch of the continent if it meant finding his friends and family. A gentle but warm ocean breeze blew back towards the island. Causing him to turn back to face his family. With a soft sigh, he forced himself to concentrate on the here and now. There was a world and an infinite amount of maybes and ifs separating him from the rest of the world. MAX trundled over, the robot had been serving not only as Brain's most loyal companion but also as a cook and something of a USB containing much of International Rescue's precious information and files. He beeped a few times, a language (if it could be called such a thing) which only his creator could understand.

"MAX says that even if they had left as soon as the communications had been severed, they still probably won't have been able to make it back to Safehouse 12."

"Otherwise put we have no way of knowing where they are..."

Gordon's statement was met with slow nods of agreement from the rest of his family. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. Why did nobody seem to have a good damn solution to the problem. That was true for him as well of course. He could have gone mad trying to find a way out of the problem. Closing his eyes, he found himself travelling back to their island home which felt like it belonged to a distant planet which may or may not have been a part of his imagination. He shifted the sand mindlessly under his shoe, creating landscapes which he wiped away a second later. Trying to lose himself for a moment and desperately hoping to avoid focusing on what was wrong. Frustrated, the young man raised his gaze to see them.

"We wait until tomorrow." Grandma's voice was firm and resolute. "That should give John and Alan enough time to re-establish communications if they're still up there."

 _If…_ He hated and loathed that word and the uncertainty it brought with it. He wanted certainty. One way or another. If his family were safe, he wanted to know about it so that he might have some peace of mind and be able to breathe once more. Alternatively, if they weren't, he would rather know about it so as to be able to start preparing a rescue plan or to at least be able to begin mourning if it was the worst case scenario. At the moment, it felt like they were guessing. It brought back painful memories of his father's disappearance. For days, weeks, even months after the jet had crashed they had agonized and debated the matter. He wasn't gone, there was no body and yet he most certainly was no longer with them. It had driven them all to the brink of madness. Pulling through had been a frightful challenge but one which they had all faced together. Without all of his brothers together, he wasn't sure he was able to face this new daunting prospect.

Angry, he got to his feet. His fists were clenched. He took a couple of determined steps towards the ocean. He was suffocating. There wasn't enough air here. A large lump had formed in his throat. His family watched him but saying nothing. Perhaps they sensed that he needed a few moments, not long, maybe just a few seconds to be able to think. With closed eyes, it was a little easier to escape and formulate a way to express just what he was feeling. Even if it was in the form of a question:

"Why is he doing this?" A frustrated sigh spoke of his incomprehension and growing exasperation with the situation. "We're International Rescue, all we ever try to do is help people."

"The fact is we don't know." It was the eldest who chose to answer her question. "The Hood we can make sense of, even if he does seem insane. The Mechanic however is a different kettle of fish. We might never understand his motivations. Right now, all we can do is react to what he's doing."

Gordon said nothing as he listened to his grandmother's words. It was hard to argue with them. He could recall a mixture between Kayo and the GDF attempting to work out just who the mysterious Mechanic was from the moment he had first reared his head. They had been met by a whole lot of nothing. Given that it was their domain of expertise, the prospect of even attempting to understand the figure of the man who eluded them was a terrifying one. Still, he found himself wondering just what drove anyone to be willing to take thousands of life just to further their own purposes. As his grandmother had pointed out, the Hood wanted power, according to his niece he desired to own the world. The Mechanic wanted…? They kept tabs on the news enough to know that he had made no formal requests other than International Rescue be apprehended. That struck everyone as odd. He had achieved what most criminals and lunatics could thankfully only dream of. Yet now that he had his victory, he didn't seem to be doing anything with it. Not only was it confusing, it made those who knew they were on the wrong side of his anger nervous as they waited uncertainly to try and see what he would do next, unable to imagine it themselves.

He stood there staring out at the vastness of the horizon and wondering if out there somewhere Scott and Kayo were doing the same. Was Penny? They still knew next to nothing about what had happened to her. She'd ran, along with Parker and Sherbert that was all that they knew. Even that information at almost a week old could only be described as "out of date". If it were just him, he would have gone searching. It wasn't right that they should all be hiding like wanted criminals. It hurt.

A felt a familiar large hand on his shoulder. It was Virgil. Always Virgil. He prayed that it would forever be Virgil. The second youngest of the brothers was met only with kindness and understanding behind a set of dark brown eyes. He didn't resist as his sibling put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Before he knew it, his grandmother was by his side also. Somehow, they were able to sense just what was going on inside of him and knew when he needed them. He didn't quite understand it but was none-the-less grateful for it. Brains lingered for a moment before joining them in over looking the ocean.

They would be fine. Gordon told himself as he stood there. They would always be alright.

/

The emptiness of space was decidedly unforgiving. It was a fact which Alan found himself periodically needing to learn again. He shivered slightly in his spacesuit. True, it was designed to be able to resist the frigid temperatures of outer space but that didn't prevent him from being able to still register the chill which surrounded him. There was a certain frozen quality to the space station now that all of its systems had been turned off. If it were possible to freeze a haunted house, he was pretty sure it would feel something like this. Out here, in the darkness, so far from Earth, his body seemed to be screaming that it wasn't designed to leave the safety of the planet and that he should never have come up here. He floated through the ring, seeking out naturally the only source of comfort he had up here.

He wouldn't have gone far, there was nowhere to go. The darkness was such that without a flashlight, he found himself colliding with absolutely everything. Even in a place which was relatively familiar like Thunderbird 5, he found it to be an unpleasant experience. Almost as unpleasant as the complete and utter silence they had been forced to maintain for the best part of a day.

He pushed himself along, reluctant to allow his hand to drift too far away from the wall least he find himself lost and powerless to stop himself from floating away. It was strange, he was usually rather comfortable in zero-gravity. Not as much so as John but definitely more at home than Scott or Gordon were. Right now though, he just felt lost and wanted nothing more than for it all to be over. He wanted Thunderbird 5's systems back online. He wanted them to be safe. He needed to hear the voices of his family once more. Just thinking about their absence was enough to make him almost physically ache. The family's youngest knew they worried about him, given the circumstances they had lost contact in, he could only imagine how panicked everyone would be. Naturally, they would potentially start to imagine the worst and yet those trapped high above the surface could do nothing to ease those worries for fear of giving away their position.

The light from his torch fell upon two figures floating not to far away. They looked out to space with tired but still alert eyes. There was nothing out there. Only debris, pieces of scrapped ships and small asteroids were out there. After a while, they barely even registered any more. It all just became part of the darkness around them, fading into a blandness which over the past few hours he had grown tired of. He wasn't sure he'd ever gone this long without sleep. John had been adamant however that they couldn't afford to let their guards slip for even a few brief moments. They had to be ready to run in a heartbeat if required. With no computer systems, they were relying on their eyes alone. Hardly ideal in the vast darkness of space. The GDF ships which had passed by a while ago had appeared to them to be little more than a few colourful lights at times. That was primarily what they were on the lookout for. Thankfully, none had been sighted in many hours.

Silently, he joined his brother and the young woman who was currently living with them. They didn't do much to acknowledge his presence, both pairs of eyes remained riveted on the vast darkness outside. Alan said nothing as he stopped next to them. He was acutely aware of the fact that they were gradually running out of time. The little oxygen symbol on his suit was surely proof of that as it periodically bleeped informing him that he was nearing the end of his supply. So would John and Riley, it might be happening either more quickly or a little slower for them depending on how much they were burning respectively. At any rate, they didn't have much longer before it would start to become a major problem.

Alan let out a sigh and shivered, earning a sympathetic look from his brother. Ridley placed her hand on his shoulder, it barely even registered. There was no touch – not that John was the most tactile of people – still, with them all in their spacesuits, it was impossible to feel the warmth of another. It was one of the strange things that the family's youngest didn't think that he would miss until he did. Scott ruffling his hair, Virgil's bear hugs, Gordon's rough and tumble, Kayo's playful mock punches and grandma's comforting embrace were all things he found himself longing for. Their absence seemed to make his existence a cold and lonely one, even although it wasn't as if he was alone up here.

Finally, John turned to face his two companions. There was a grave expression on his face which harboured bags under his eyes. He looked terrible, Alan suspected that they all did. It was the price they paid for being on the run like this. The young man cast one last glance out into the depths of space before declaring:

"Looks all quiet..."

He didn't need to say anything else. They followed John back through the space station in silence. Thunderbird 5 felt dead for lack of a better word. It was a strange thing but Alan had always found himself attached to the craft that their father had had built. It was almost as if they were a part of the family. Abandoning them felt like a betrayal of some kind. The space station in orbit was supposed to be something of a home away from home for the middle brother, it must have hurt him to turn off the systems, even if he hadn't let much on. Seeing the cameras usually associated with EOS dark and lifeless felt wrong… The sooner that they got some power back, the better. Even a place as familiar this could become eerie in the current circumstances.

As they reached the control panel, he felt some hope begin to return. If nothing else, they should be able to re-establish connection with the rest of their family who would almost certainly be panicking by now. John flicked a few switches and gradually, the space station began to come back to life. The neon lights and quiet hum of the ship's systems brought a strange comfort as he found himself finally capable of relaxing a little. Almost as soon as even a couple of the systems were back online, it was as if Thunderbird 5 suddenly came back to life. Everything started to move once more. A familiar lens started to make its way over to them. Alan didn't miss the joyful and relieved smile on his brother's face as the AI joined them once more.

EOS turned to face each of them one by one before focusing back on John once more. She wasn't the easiest person in the world to relate to as far as Alan was concerned. Perhaps that was because she wasn't human and was still trying to make sense of the world. It was only her creator who seemed to be able to understand her:

"I see you've reactivated Thunderbird 5."

"Only a few seconds ago." John paused slightly, his eyes flickering around as if checking to ensure that everything was the same as it had been. "Are you feeling okay?"

"My systems are still rebooting, so I suppose you could say that I'm a little sleepy at the moment." The concept was one which Alan found himself strangely able to relate to rather easily.

"Can you tell if we have to worry about the GDF?" Ridley's attention was still, despite everything, somewhat preoccupied by the darkness of space which surrounded them.

"Wait a minute..." There was a pause as a few lights turned on and off around the lens, almost like a loading bar. "Scans are back online and fully functional. No GDF craft in the immediate vicinity. They seem to have passed by."

A couple of screens popped up, indicating that life-support was now fully operational and that things would be starting to warm up again. Alan found himself breathing an audible sigh of relief. It was a load off of his and he imagined John and Ridley's minds. The computers on board of Thunderbird 5 and EOS' scans were far more sophisticated than their bare eyes ever would be. Give it a little while, he would tear this helmet off. He was tired of breathing only the oxygen in his tank and being trapped with what felt like a fish bowl on his head. He didn't usually mind it during missions, maybe it was just the stress of the current situation which caused the usually mildly irritating to become a severe nuisance.

The youngest of the brothers found himself wondering if it would be alright to call the others. He hadn't forgotten about the mission Scott and Kayo had been on. Things had been cut short too soon, it left everything uncertain. If they had succeeded in getting the information then they could start to think about coming up with some sort of plan to deal with the Mechanic once and for all. On the other hand, there was a nagging fear in the back of his mind that things could have gone completely south and when they did manage to getting communications back it would be to be greeted with the news that one or both groups had been taken out. He wanted to call as soon as possible. Anything to know that they were okay.

"I wouldn't recommend that Alan." EOS' artificial voice sounded grave as she responded to his suggestion.

"What? Why not?"

"Because we don't know if that ship passing-by was just a coincidence or if they can track our communications." John replied in the AI's place. "We can run some tests. The last thing we want to do is give away our positions or the others'."

Naturally, he found himself agreeing with their logic. One intercepted message could spell disaster for all of them. If the GDF was somehow able to use their communications to locate their position, then it was only logical to stop transmitting. In theory, they should have been able to work out another way of encrypting their messages. That was assuming that as EOS had pointed out, they had been able to track them down at all as opposed to simply being in the area. All that was required was a little bit of patience. It shouldn't take all that long for the AI using Thunderbird 5 to run the checks. He tried to work out just how long it would take in his mind, a few hours maybe? No longer.

Still, despite knowing all of that, he couldn't help but start to protest:

"-But..."

"It's for the best Alan." John placed a hand on his shoulder as he spoke softly. "A few hours is all that it will take. Then we can be sure that it's safe."

"We can maybe all think about getting some shut eye." Alan suspected that the young woman's suggestion was caused by her playing on his weaknesses. Still, it was a tempting one. "You'll let us know when it's safe again, won't you EOS?"

"Of course."

When faced with two – three if EOS was included – such resolute arguments, Alan chose not to protest any further. Besides, he was fully aware that given that they had had little to no shut eye which could only mean they were beginning to run on fumes. Even if they did only get a few hours rest whilst the scans and analysis were being done then it would be worth it. Nodding slowly, he left his brother and the young woman to it. Judging by how tired both of them looked, he doubted that they would be far behind him when it came to going to bed. Despite everything, some hope had appeared once more, comforting him. They might get out of this yet…

As he settled down in his bed once more and found sleep to be rapidly approaching. Exhaustion was far more powerful than any notions he might have had of even attempting to stay awake. Even on the best of days he would find himself longing for sleep and wishing that the rescues would just stop for a few hours so that he could benefit from just a little longer in his bed or on the floor. He wasn't picky. Still, even on board of Thunderbird 5 despite everything that had happened, he found himself harbouring some hope which manifested in the form of a ball of excitement in his stomach. When he woke up, they would call the others and everything would be alright. He knew it was naïve but as he began to drift off, all he could think was that soon they would be together again...

/

Scott had practically collapsed onto the bed as soon as he had spotted it. It was only when his friend had pointed out that one of them was going to sleep in it later on that he'd thought better of it. The rain continued to lash down outside and showed no sign of slowing. It was almost completely dark outside now, a strong and cold wind blew through the city streets. Sitting on the windowsill, he contemplated the dingy alley through tired eyes. From time to time, someone would hurry past eager to find some shelter from the downpour. Given the nature of this end of town, he doubted that many people would chose to go for a calm stroll, especially given the weather. If they were out there it was because they had no real choice, most likely they were travelling between two places. He liked wondering what others were doing, it allowed himself to take his mind off of the current situation.

He had taken his sweater and shoes off both were soaked through. After hours spent staggering around lost in the cold and wet, they had finally managed to find the world's dingiest hotel. Well… Kayo assured him there were far worse places out there. He had never had the dubious honour of staying in any of them. All he could do was take note of the filthy, muddy carpet, smell of damp, light which periodically flickered and overall run-down appearance of the room he found himself in. He hadn't dared go into the bathroom or indeed check out room 204 where he might end up spending the night depending on whether or not the young woman chose to claim this as her own room. He found himself wondering what manner of individuals kept a place like this. The same people who didn't even look up from their magazine when people checked in...

The sound of running water from the bathroom was almost possible to mistake for simply the water. If his friend's earlier complaints were to be believed there was more rain coming down than there was water coming out of the shower. Turning his attention back to the radiator, he struggled with it for a moment. Apparently, it was throwing out as much heat as it was capable of, that was to say barely enough to warm the room. He frowned looking at his tee-shirt, sweatshirt and socks which were notionally supposed to be drying out. The chances of that were few and far between. Sitting there bare-chested, he found himself shivering periodically. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh as he lay head head back against the cool glass. This was not how he pictured himself spending yet another evening. That morning, he had rather hoped that they would have sent the information to Brains by now. That plan had fallen through quite some time ago… They would have to deal with that when Kayo emerged from the shower. Covered in mud and with a series of injuries, she had been quick to enter the shower. They would deal with the other matters as soon as she emerged.

At a loss of things to do, he turned on the television and flicked through the channels mindlessly. As always, he found himself settling for the news. It was ironic, he found himself thinking, how they could continue going on about the comparatively mundane such as pop stars and cats stuck up trees when there was a giant laser in space which could annihilate a city in a matter of seconds. He wasn't too sure if he was impressed or not. Maybe it was because he was so intertwined in the events that it was impossible for him to distance himself from what was going on. It was, he supposed, not too far a stretch to imagine that some people must have felt far removed from what was happening and probably told themselves that the Mechanic would never go through with any of this threats.

John and Alan were constantly on his mind. They had heard nothing from them since abruptly losing contact with them. Whilst in a way that was comforting, leading them to believe that the other brothers hadn't been arrested. Not knowing could prove to be just as bad however. It left room for uncertainty which was slowly maddening. He tried not to think about it too much.

Kayo emerged from the shower a few moments later. He turned to face her, eyes widening as they fell upon her figure. She was drying her hair which hung loosely with a towel. She had been forced to put her initial set of jeans back on, abandoning those which had been given to her by Colonel Casey. The right strap of her bra hung loosely on her bare shoulder. She stopped drying her hair dumping the towel carelessly on the floor before bending down and picking up their first aid kit. Bare feet left some damp prints on the carpet as she made her way over to him. He struggled not to stare. She didn't seem to be aware of his sudden awkwardness or if she was, she didn't let it on. She dumped the first aid kit on the bed before sitting there. Her gaze rested on his for a few seconds. Then she calmly requested:

"Can you help?"

"Of course..."

He realized in an instant what she was referring to. Her shoulder was one thing which she couldn't easily reach or tend to. No doubt she had already inspected her wound in the bathroom mirror. It was quite a grizzly thing. The mark that the beacon had left behind almost looked like the 5 side of a dice. There was still a little bit of blood trickling down from the central puncture wound which was somewhat deeper than the rest. Gently, he dabbed a piece of cotton covered in antiseptic against it. Her breath hitched slightly, no doubt it stung. He didn't like the injury, he would have liked Brains or a doctor to have a look at it, preferably both. The beacon – if that's what it was - had come off too easily, despite her pain and there was something which he simply felt wrong about it. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

"We make our way back to the desert." Her voice was strong, unwavering despite everything. "Siphon the fuel from Thunderbird 1 to Shadow. Draw lots for who flies her to the others."

"You should." Scott suggested wiping down the wound cautiously. "You might want Brains to check this thing out, make sure that the Mechanic didn't leave any unpleasant surprises."

"You mean like poison or something?" She shook her head slightly, ensuring that she didn't disturb him. "I'd be feeling the effects by now. Besides, you think you could handle yourself whilst I was away?"

Her neck was at enough of an angle so that she could just catch sight of him out of the corner of her eye. He spotted the mocking glint there and found himself smiling. She must have been feeling better. For a while, the young woman had been a worry to him. She had barely said anything in the car as they struggled to get within reasonable walking distance of a city. Curled up in a ball, obviously in some pain, he had briefly toyed with the idea of taking her to a hospital. Naturally Kayo had refused. He couldn't really blame her, right now a hospital trip would almost certainly mean arrest. The walk through the rainy streets hadn't done her any good. A shower however it would seem was enough to warm her up and perhaps relax her a little.

There were a series of grazes down the side of her waist. They weren't serious enough to warrant any medical attention past a wash and maybe a quick dab of antiseptic. He had been too far away to see her go down but it must have been quite the fall that she had taken. Kayo simply sat there, slightly hunched over with her hands lying loosely on her lap. Her eyes were closed. Her deep but regular breaths made it difficult to tell if she was in pain or simply trying to regain a sense of the world around her. He could have believed either. She helped him when it came to applying the bandage. If Virgil had been here, he would have been far better suited for helping out. He tended to be team medic. Scott couldn't help but feel that he could have done a better job.

Kayo's attention was elsewhere. It took him a moment to realize that it had suddenly become focused solely on the television. He hadn't been aware that the young woman had even been listening to it. He frowned, feeling her tense up suddenly. For a while, he didn't even dare turn his head fearing what he might discover. It was a strange feeling as he faced the image of a man he knew well. Instantly his heart sunk.

Kyrano…

The same spell which seemed to have taken a hold over the man's daughter took over him. He found himself unable to move. Staring seemed to be only thing that he was now capable of. His heart sank as an unwell feeling came over him. He had known the man well during his time as head of security for International Rescue. He was calmer and more level-headed than his feisty daughter. Scott had lost touch with him after he'd left following his father's disappearance. It was fair to say that he found himself bitterly regretting it. It was with a great deal of shame that the eldest of the brothers found himself realizing that he hadn't even thought about the man when all of this had kicked off. Perhaps he had presumed that retirement would somehow protect him. A naïve thought and one which had cost the man a great deal.

Kayo got up suddenly. In a flash, she had grabbed her tee-shirt and was heading towards the door. Scott stared for a moment, struggling to process just what exactly was going on. It felt as if he was running about thirty seconds behind everything else that was going on. It was only when she had her hand on the handle that his mind finally clicked and he was able to spring into action.

"Wait!" Rushing forwards, he reached out grabbing onto her free arm.

"You heard what they said! That's my father Scott!" Her voice was raised slightly, angry but still in enough to let him know there was rage boiling underneath.

"You storm in there you'll get killed." It was a harsh warning but one which he felt obliged to give.

"I'll be quick and quiet. They'll never know I was there."

"We both know you can't guarantee that." She tried to pull away but he managed to keep holding on. "Just stop and think!"

"Would you? If it was your father?" That hurt, he tried not to let it show however. "Let go of me! You have five seconds!"

"Will you just listen!" Growing frustrated he dug his heels into the ground, practically pulling her backwards. "They'll be expecting you. You go in there, best case scenario you get-"

He didn't really know what happened next. At least not for a minute or so. Things only gradually began to become understandable and coherent when he found himself lying face down on the floor. A pain began to radiate from his cheek. It was one that he had felt before, albeit not for quite some time now. Dazed, he tried his best to come back to his senses. He could feel (and unfortunately smell) the old dirty rug. He became vaguely aware that he was coughing. His lungs ached for some reason. His vision, although blurry came into focus on the form of a young woman, standing not all that far away. She was staring down at him, eyes wide. He tried to get up. Big mistake, in an instant, the world started spinning causing him to attempt to block it out by closing his eyelids. His body wouldn't obey his commands, remaining lose and limp despite his requests for it to at least try and stand him back up. His body knew infinitely better than him that he was currently in the room with someone who could punch harder than he ever could.

Instead, he opted for simply lying there and catching his breath, trying to regain a feeling for himself. Gradually, he became aware of Kayo standing a little closer to him. She maintained a foot or so's distance however. She hesitated, forbidden. It was only when he tried to stand once more and almost fell that she came over. Gently, she rested her hands on his back easing him so that he was kneeling. She rubbed her hand against his back softly, soothing him slightly. Still sore, Scott raised a hand to his lip. Blood was trickling down his chin from a small cut that had opened on the bottom left of his mouth. Sometimes, he felt he needed a periodic reminder of just how she had come by her nickname… He simply counted himself lucky that his jaw wasn't broken, come to that that it was still connected to his face.

They sat back down on the bed after a while. Scott, despite being still a little dazed turned off the television. They had both had enough emotion for one day. Sitting there in silence, they allowed themselves perhaps not to relax but dropped their guard. Kayo's head hung low. She said nothing. Making no attempt to justify what she had done or to apologize. He wasn't stupid enough to demand or even expect one. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He looked at her sympathetically. Kyrano wasn't dead but the eldest of the Tracy brothers felt like he could put herself in her shoes. It wasn't so long ago he had lost his own father… He hesitated to put an arm around her. Unsure how she would react. It took a while for her to be confident enough to begin speaking once more.

"When I last saw my father… I was upset. Mr. Tracy, he'd just crashed and dad said he was going to leave." She closed her eyes, looking away for a moment. He couldn't have sworn it but he thought he saw a few tears behind her eyes. "I said some bad things. Terrible things..."

He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Far be it for him to hold such a thing against her. There were plenty of harsh words which Scott found himself regretting when it came to his relationship with his father following the loss of his mother. They were forgiven now, at least notionally but he was aware that there was no magic way of taking back what he had said. He suspected that until his dying day he would regret them, wondering if his father had ever fully accepted his apologies and put the pain that he had caused behind him. Pain, fear and grief did funny things to people's heads. He had his faults, as did Tanusha Kyrano but he didn't think that either of them were particularly cruel. They would never hurt their family, other than when they themselves were in pain.

Kayo rested her head on his shoulder. It didn't seem to matter that her hair was wet. He let out a soft sigh, passing an arm around her shoulders. The young woman reacted by snuggling up to him a little more, resting her head against his chest. Holding her close, he rocked back and forth slowly. It was a position he had grown used to adopting as a teenager with his various brothers whenever something was wrong. His mother had done it to him. It always somehow seemed to soothe all of his worries. The head of security who had grown up them was usually different. She didn't _do_ hugs. She didn't need them or so she claimed. She could cope. For the most part, that was true. Sometimes however, there was just something behind her eyes. A sorrow which she refused to express but was unable to conceal completely. It could almost be described as a longing.

"Please stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."

"You're sure?" It was a soft mutter he used to respond to her request.

She nodded slowly, it was almost unnoticeable. It was a tiny bed. Only meant for one. The initial plan had been for them to both to have their own rooms. They'd gone so far as to pay for them. Still, the prospect of having some company in the current situation was enough to prompt him to stay put. Lying on his side, with his arms somewhere around Kayo's waist, he found himself realizing just how tired he was. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his father's warnings about Kyrano's daughter came back to him. They'd only ever been given once. Apparently, Jeff had assumed it would be enough. He wasn't too sure that this quite constituted going too far but it must surely have been perilously close. He felt Kayo shudder slightly before letting out a gentle laugh:

"You've got cold feet."

"Sorry..."

It was all that he found himself capable of muttering before slowly, he drifted off into a dreamless but still restful state.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Author's note: Hey! Thanks again for the reviews! Just to say that I should be able to get back to more frequent updates now that the holidays have passed._**

 ** _/_**

The little red dot on the screen hadn't moved in quite some time. A set of dark brown eyes fixed it painfully. It absorbed most of her attention. When she looked at the little red dot on the screen. She didn't see a group of pixels but a person, a life, a friend… She doubted that her current attitude had gone unnoticed by her men. They might not be saying anything but there was no mistaking the look on her face as she stared at the screen. A large part of her wanted that little blip to suddenly vanish into thin air and cease to exist. They could all go home and forget about this.

Her attention turned back to the soldiers who surrounded her. They were all busy monitoring the situation, it was their job. She couldn't fault their professionalism given the current situation. In other circumstances, she might have congratulated. Right now however, she couldn't bring herself to do so. There was just too much on her mind troubling her. Every single bone in her body was screaming at her, telling her that it was wrong. Were she a little younger, more naïve and with less of an understanding of how the world worked then she would have flung open the doors and rushed out of the van screaming a warning. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, her back straight and hands behind her back as she watched the others work. She doubted that many of those under her command were any different. There was no mistaking the grim faces.

Chatter, the commander had found, was a good way to tell how the troops' morale was doing. Eavesdropping – a skill which ironically she had initially thought in her youth would be little to no use to her – had become something essential. Right now, there was precious little of it going on. That meant a mixture of two things: uncertainty, probably both in the mission going awry (despite something of a military background in the family, International Rescue were notionally civilians and had yet proved themselves to be slippery as hell to track down) and in what they were being asked to do. Their doubts were ones which they didn't want to share or even let others know that they were having. She didn't even fancy trying to lift their spirits or otherwise give them a pep-talk, there was no point. It wasn't that she doubted any of them. All of the men and women gathered and ready were proper soldiers, ready to do their job.

She knew that they would fire if the order was given. Most of them at least. Enough to count.

The middle-aged woman let out a sigh as her gaze drifted back to the screen. The red dot was still there, not moving. Given the early hour, it was entirely probable that they were still asleep. Blissfully unaware of what was about to happen or the danger that they were currently in.

In the back of her mind, an old friend's stern – albeit somewhat drunken at the time – words came back to her as she recalled sitting in a bar with him many years alone to her. _"You'll look after em' Case, won't you?"._ _Not any more old friend. I can't any more. No one can…_ She found herself thinking sadly as a reply. For a moment, she could practically see the man's hurt and disapproving frown in front of her eyes before he turned away from her. It hurt, she wouldn't deny it. Still, the woman forced herself to keep it together trying to force all of her remorse and shame to a hidden part of her which would contain it until she could dwell on it properly later on when she was alone and there wasn't so much riding on her decisions and resting on her shoulders.

One slip up here would spell disaster. There was little doubt in her mind that their self-proclaimed new manager would be watching their every move somehow. He would know who was there and what the situation was. If they failed here, then his patience may very easily run out. The last thing they wanted was for him to decide to take matters into his own hands or worse to start getting trigger happy. Now might very well be the last good chance that they got to bring this to a relatively bloodless end. She took a deep breath as discretely as possible, not wanting to let any of those under her command see just how concerned she truly was or how difficult this was. A moment's hesitation or doubt could prove to be catastrophic in an operation like this.

Behind her, a young lieutenant had been waiting for a minute or so in perfect silence, not daring to even utter the slightest syllable. She knew that the colonel had seen her and knew what she wanted.

"Do it..." Two single words escaped her lips and yet pained her more than perhaps any others that she had ever muttered.

/

There was some sun coming through the blinds now, making a pleasant change from the winds and rain which had been battering them since last night. Becoming conscious once more, a young man took a few deep breaths, filling his lungs with the unpleasantly stale air which occupied the entirety of the hotel. It was with a slight groan that Scott found his eyes fluttering open gradually. His brain was unusually slow following a surprisingly good night's sleep. It was rare that he could enjoy a night with no nightmares and no troubles which prevented him from drifting off. Yet it had been the case last night. He spent a few moments simply returning to himself and regaining a feeling of where he was.

With that awareness, came the reminder that he wasn't alone.

Kayo slept curled up slightly on her side. Her back was pressed against his bare chest. He could feel each of her soft and shallow breaths against his arm which lay wrapped around her. The young woman was apparently still sleeping. She was pleasantly warm, given the chill that hung in the air of the hotel room with radiators which didn't work. Closing his eyes, he found himself remembering just how he had come to be in this situation. Many of the events of the previous night seemed a little hazy to him. It was almost like waking up from a dream. Although in this case, it was probably a lot closer to a nightmare. Tempers had flared, he considered themselves fortunate that things hadn't ended up a lot worse and that they were still together.

There was a dull ache in his jaw. Instinctively, he raised his free arm which his friend wasn't currently lying on to rub it. The skin was tender there, he imagined that he must have had a bruise. A soft smile made its way onto his face despite the pain. Kayo still deserved her nickname it would seem. It wasn't the first time that he had been on the wrong side of one of her fists. Usually, it was accidental when they were sparring but not always. Even as kids, they had bickered a fair bit. Naturally, when things got physical he only ever tended to last a few seconds. Tanusha Kyrano seemed to have come preprogrammed with the knowledge of how to kick someone's butt.

A quiet moan drew his attention. The young woman in question was coming to as evidenced by the slight frown and the attempt she was making to open her eyes. They seemed to trail around the room for a moment before just as he had, she became aware that she wasn't alone. The young woman shifted round abruptly so as to be able to look at him fully. For a moment, he didn't quite know how to respond. He searched her face, looking into her eyes, trying to make out just what lay behind them. Scott hoped that she remembered just what he was doing half naked in her bed and more importantly that it had been her idea. He didn't want to think of the potential consequences if she didn't. A gentle albeit tired smile informed him however that he was probably on balance okay:

"Morning..."

"Good morning." He echoed as a reply unable to think of what else to say.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The eldest of the brothers wasn't too sure what he had been expecting: anger? Resentment? Regret? He couldn't see any of that behind her eyes. She seemed to be remarkably calm. He had perhaps been imagined that she would get out of bed as soon as she awoke. Granted, the young woman could still be a little bit sleepy he presumed. Grandma could always get things out of Kayo, she seemed to be able to understand the young woman better than any of them. He envied her for that. Sometimes Scott just couldn't figure her out. It left him a mixture of perplexed and a little frustrated at times.

He hesitated to ask if she was alright. With Kyrano, her father, behind bars and potentially in a life-threatening situation - albeit one she could do nothing about – he couldn't see how she could be. The words hung on his tongue for a moment before finally, despite the fact that he was still in punching range, he decided that he had better check:

"You okay?"

"My father's been captured by the GDF and I just woke up in bed with you." She laughed softly much to his surprise. "I'm not alright Scott."

The young man blinked a few times, trying to process what she was saying. There was bitterness there, no doubt about it. She could have been terrible but for some reason, it was a smile which occupied her face. That one look was enough to cause him to smile, without him understanding why. He might not comprehend the reason for it but there was no mistaking the slightly teasing look in her eyes. The pain wasn't gone but right now she was ignoring it or at least trying to pretend that it wasn't there. She shifted slightly so as to be able to get a somewhat better look at him. Then, without any warning, she laughed softly. It was more of a chuckle than anything else but still enough to confuse him as he struggled to figure out just what was so funny. Before he could ask, she explained herself with a gentle but somewhat sad smile:

"Dad would kill me, if he thought I was here like this."

"Mine too..." It was hard to avoid a smile despite the fact that thinking back to his father was a painful activity. "He made it very clear you were _off limits_."

Tanusha laughed softly. Apparently the notion of Jeff giving that sort of a talk to his eldest struck her as amusing. He didn't always understand her. In a way, he found it rather charming. It added a little bit of mystery to their relationship. The young woman surprised him resting her head on his chest. The intimacy wasn't something he was accustomed to and as such found himself a little unsure how to react. Tentatively, he wrapped his left arm which she had up until then been leaning on around her shoulders, pulling her in close. It served something of a double purpose. The bed would have been small enough if it were just one person, with two of them, Scott found himself on the edge, threatening to tumble off. With Kayo a little closer to him, he found it easier to balance. She didn't seem to mind all that much which in turn allowed him to relax.

In truth, the whole situation was a little confusion. Not unpleasant but difficult for him to understand. He wasn't entirely sure if this was merely an extension of last night's comfort cuddling or something a little more. The uncertainty made him a little nervous. He didn't want to deny much needed company and comfort but equally he didn't want to offend his friend by becoming a little too 'friendly'. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure how he himself felt about the latter. Whilst he was trying not to let it show, he was frightened right now and the stress of the past few days was only accumulating. Whilst she might maybe be a little bit better at concealing it, he doubted that Kayo was much different. It was a combination of circumstances which had a bad habit of blurring lines and making people seek comfort from wherever it was available. The last thing he wanted was for them both to do something they later ended up regretting. There wasn't enough room on their island for confused feelings which could lead to feuds.

He recalled quite distinctly not understanding why his father had felt it necessary to talk to him in private about Kayo. They'd known each other since they were children. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that she had grown up but then they both had. He'd laughed at the idea at the time but promised that he would treat her no differently to any of his brothers. The memories came flooding back to him. He missed those days before International Rescue. Well, not quite before, the Thunderbirds were very much a work in progress but not operational yet. Neither was the island for that matter. It was just him, his brothers, grandmother and in the early days both of his parents along with the Kyranos. They were simpler times, he hadn't had as much resting on his shoulders and he seemed to remember being able to sleep the whole night through without worries plaguing him. There was little doubt in his mind that he would get in trouble for this if anyone found out. They both would.

"Can you ever just relax?"

"You're one to talk…"

The comment earned a sarcastic laugh. Maybe he was over-thinking this a little. Closing his eyes, he tried momentarily to forget about everything going on around him. He tried to dream that he was back in his own bed on Tracy island, lounging around and taking advantage of the fact that there were no emergencies which needed to be dealt with. Alan was snoring in his bed. Grandma was burning breakfast whilst Virgil played a few tunes on the piano and Gordon partook in his early morning laps in the pool. John was up on the space station enjoying his bagels. In short, all was well. He wished deeply for it to be so, even though he knew that as he opened his eyes, he found himself starring up at the grubby ceiling of some run down hotel. Only Kayo was familiar here, only she provided him with any comfort or consolation. Letting out a sigh, he found himself mindlessly running a hand through the young woman's loose hair.

Realizing suddenly what he was doing, he looked down concerned, eager to check just how she was reacting. A gentle smile answered for itself. With daylight making its way through the blinds, he was able to better make out a patch of bruised skin on her cheekbone, just under her left eye. She mentioned being hit the day before, no doubt that was where the mark had come from. Cautiously, he reached out with his thumb and stroked the injury. The young woman winced slightly but otherwise didn't react.

"Quite the bruise you got..."

"Nothing I'm not used to." The young woman closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. "I've been fighting since I was little."

"I know." It was a tragedy as he saw it but there was nothing to be done about it. "I guess we're both a little hotheaded."

"Mmhm..."

Tanusha grumbled in agreement as a reply. She became quiet, averting her eyes for a moment. Scott continued to run his hand through her hair. There was something soothing about the action. Maybe it was the mindlessness of it or it could have been simply the proximity to someone that he cared about – something he had been deprived of for quite some time now. He found himself forgetting that he hadn't eaten in over a day, he hadn't enjoyed the warmth of a shower since this whole débâcle had started, nor been able to shave and get rid of the beard which Kayo had told him more than once she disliked. It occurred to him that he must have stunk, sweat and grime hardly made for a pleasant combination. His friend however didn't seem to be all that bothered by it. Resting her head on his chest quite sedately.

He didn't know what time it was. They probably should have been thinking about moving on. Staying in one place for too long was dangerous. If nothing else, they still had a hell of a long way to go before getting back to their Thunderbirds. Despite that knowledge, he found himself reluctant to move. The warmth and comfort however proved to be something of a sedative. He didn't want to move, just to lie here like this and to try and forget everything else that was going on. He was simply too tired to do anything else.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

He frowned looking at her. Initially, her words didn't seem to make much sense. Think about what? About her fighting or how they were both hotheads who needed to cool off from time to time? It took him a second to look past the immediate question and see the hidden implication and meaning. As a result, her question caught him off guard. It was so blunt and direct – the sort that only she could ask – that for a moment, he could only gawk at her as if she had just started to speak in some enchanted language which somehow managed to capture his soul. His natural instinct was to deny of course. The same way as he had fervently denied having his first crush. He let out a sigh, unsure what to say. It was potentially a lose-lose situation. In truth, he wasn't entirely convinced that there was a right or a wrong answer.

Lies lay just on the edge of his tongue but strangely, what slipped out was the truth. He didn't know why.

"Yes… A couple of times." He kept his eyes focused anywhere but the young woman, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks as well as a need to justify himself. "I'm flesh and blood."

Kayo Kyrano was a beautiful woman and he was – well… A guy. It would have been wrong for him to deny that he wasn't at least somewhat attracted to her. He hoped she didn't think it was solely because she was the only girl on their island. Scott liked to think of himself as being a little less shallow than that. There was something about the young woman he – and indeed many of those who encountered her – found enchanting. It wasn't just those green eyes and the pretty face they were a part of either. In many ways, the young woman was someone whom if asked, he would have said he wouldn't have immediately gotten on with not with her refusal to follow anything even resembling an order and tendency to put herself in an insane amount of danger. Yet, despite how mad she drove him sometimes, there was something about her fire and tenacity, as well as her softer side which he could only find attractive.

Admittedly, it was a decidedly awkward thing to confess to, he found himself thinking, when they were both lying together half-naked in a bed. She hadn't hit him again, he supposed that was a good thing as far as causing offence went. She seemed to be chewing his words over, in silence just thinking. He stopped running a hand through her hair, silently dreading the prospect that he might have gone too far. Unable to bear the silence any longer, he found himself asking in a quiet voice:

"What about you?"

"Oh..." There was a devilish grin on her face now. "I'm only flesh and blood as well."

Without saying another word, she got up. Instantly, Scott felt something of an absence where she had been before. A warmth which had vanished. He watched her walk round the bed. She travelled over to the window, parting the blinds with her fingers. Green orbs scanned the world outside both quickly and efficiently, hunting for the slightest hint that something might not quite be right. She remained silent. Something in the street seemed to have drawn her attention, she fixed whatever it was for just long enough for Scott to become concerned. It must have been something, there was no mistaking the scrutiny which came with her furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. Moments before he was about to ask just what she seemed to find so fascinating, the young woman turned away and picked up her socks and tee-shirt from where she had left them the night before, that was to say lying in a heap on the floor.

For his part, the pilot of Thunderbird 1 found himself feeling excessively lazy all of a sudden. The bed was simply too warm and comfortable to be abandoned. He propped himself up slightly on the pillow, watching as Kayo slipped her socks back onto her feet but still found himself reluctant to join her. Instead, the oddest of thoughts crossed his mind. He broadcast it, speaking more in jest than anything else but also with a certain longing as he found himself almost too tired to conceive having to go yet another day with no food and being hunted like escaped prisoners:

"Maybe we should follow colonel Casey's advice." He paused laughing slightly at the mere prospect. "We can call the others, tell them to call it a day. Get ourselves some new identities and start afresh." The young woman's eyebrow was raised dubiously. "What? We move down to California, it's warm there. I could get a job as a gym teacher or something, you could be a cop or teach kids kung fu. It wouldn't be Tracy island but we could have a nice house, a car-"

"Bills to pay, plumbers to call for burst pipes and a kid to send to school… Yeah, sure sounds like fun."

He could have laughed at Kayo's dry realism and sense of the world. For a few seconds, he did. There was no room for fantasy, for her, no matter how fleeting it was. He wasn't entirely sure that he would count the young woman as a pessimist but she most certainly wasn't the greatest optimist either. Then again, her line of work lead her to have to deal with some of the real scumbags planet Earth had to offer. Maybe he was simply being naïve. It had been a very long time since he had lived what could be called even a remotely 'normal' life. He might have been fooling himself thinking that it would be so easy to start again. Then again, it had only been a joke…

Something about Kayo's answer caused him to stopped however mid-chuckle. He paused, replaying it in his head. It was only when he did so that he realized he had missed a very simple part of her statement or at least the sudden revelation about his friend it brought with it. He raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. The young man could only stare at her as she slipped her tee-shirt back on. She watched him, out of the corner of her eye. She chose to ignore him, remaining stubbornly quiet despite the obvious intrigued look he gave her, begging silently for more information.

"A kid?"

Kayo shrugged in a non-apology but added nothing else. Once more, she seemed to go back to pretending that he wasn't there. Her attention went back to the window. Her gaze lingered out there for a few seconds. Scott frowned trying to see past his friend's mask. He had never known her to talk about having a family of her own. It simply wasn't an ambition he had ever known the young woman to express. If you'd have asked him, he would have said that she intended to live her life single and as free from the constraints of motherhood. She simply didn't seem like the type to have that sort of thing in mind. Apparently, he needed to brush up on his people reading skills. His eyes must have been resting upon her for too long as she let out a sigh, lowering her gaze as she did so:

"Is it so hard to believe that I might want to have a family one day?"

"No..." He shook his head slowly attempting to find a way to phrase what he was thinking without hurting her feelings. "It's just… Not something you've ever talked about."

"I guess not..." She snorted slightly something obviously struck her as amusing. "On an island full of boys, it's not the easiest thing in the world to talk about."

He wanted to say that she was wrong, that she could always come to them to talk. It didn't matter what the subject was, they would always be there for her. He stopped himself however realizing that unlike her uncle, this might not be so much of a trust matter as a girl Vs boy matter. Despite everything, he didn't quite feel like he had the right to tell her what to do as far as that sort of thing was concerned. Instead, he chose to remain diplomatically quiet, allowing her to make her own decisions as to whether or not she had been mistaken all this time. He gave her a moment more to think about it before adding:

"For what it's worth – which is probably not much." Kayo's knowing smile only confirmed his statement. "I think you'd make a good mom."

It was clear that she didn't quite know how to respond to that. For a moment, she stood there with her mouth slightly open, as if there were some words hanging just on the tip of it. They disappeared quickly, replaced instead with the softest and kindest of smiles. That one smile was enough to make all of the world's strife seemingly disappear for a few blissful seconds. He liked it when anyone smiled, especially when he was the cause. It told him that he was doing something right. If Tanusha Kyrano could smile at a time like this, then it was enough to give him enough hope to keep on going himself. Her attention travelled once more out of the window, she looked out at the horizon.

Then, in a flash, without him understanding why, the kindness and tenderness disappeared.

"A good mum doesn't raise a kid on the run."

She marched back over to the window once more. Her gaze fixed down on something in the street. The kind and somewhat flirty Kayo whom he had been talking to was no more. She'd gone back to being the tough covert operative who was ready for anything, leaving her friend a little bit perplexed as to just what had caused the sudden and brutal transformation. She most definitely didn't pause to explain herself. The anger on her face was as unmistakable as the determination. Any notions Scott might have had about lounging around in bed for a little while longer vanished instantly as he twigged that something was most definitely up. Although she could be a little… _Sensitive_ \- for lack of a better word – at times, he knew that the head of security wasn't irrational. Something had caused her to change attitudes so quickly. His best guess was that she had picked up on some element which as of yet eluded him.

Without saying a word, Kayo walked briskly to the table in the room. She turned it onto its side. The distorted wince that she gave informed him that her shoulder was still a little tender. It didn't take anything else to get the young man out of bed. He didn't question, helping her without speaking so much as a word. Together, they piled every piece of furniture in the room against the door. It was a very clear barricade, just how long it would last and against what, he couldn't say. Tanusha darted back over to the window, her eyes scanned the street outside. It was only after uttering a curse that she finally broke the silence which had been lasting a while now:

"They've found us."

"Figured as much..." Scott rubbed the pack of his neck, slowly beginning to feel the mounting panic. "What now?"

"We escape." There was a coldness and anger behind Kayo's voice which struck him as truly terrifying. "I don't know about you Scott but I fully intend to repay that bastard in full."

He nodded in agreement. Although he sometimes didn't approve of his friend's vision of just how International Rescue should be run, that didn't mean however that he didn't know when she was better suited to handle a situation than he was. He had already come to terms with the fact that they were going to have to take out the Mechanic one way or another if they wanted to survive this. Right now, he was relying on her to lead the way and find them a way out of this. Naturally, he was trying to think of one himself but struggled to think of any possibilities past jumping out of the window and hoping for the best.

There was some yelling and banging coming from the door now. Causing the pilot of Thunderbird 1 to instinctively back away. It felt a lot like they were trapped right now.

Kayo frowned slightly as the banging intensified. It was obvious their little barricade wasn't going to last all that long. She remained calm however, slowly making her way into the bathroom. Scott followed, unsure what else he could do. Without saying a word, she made her way over to a tiny window just above the shower. The young woman opened it. She had to hop slightly but she was able to haul herself onto the ledge and half out of it. She seemed to spent a few moments like that, half in and half out. All the while, the GDF (at least that's who Scott presumed they were) continued to batter at the door behind them, causing him to nervously glance over his shoulder fearful that at any moment they might break through or worse decide to use bullets.

A second later, his friend was back in the room with him.

"It's okay. We can climb down from here."

"You sure?" From memory, they were on the second floor, that was quite the distance to end up falling.

"It's that or we get caught." Kayo shrugged glancing over his shoulder. "Shit, they're almost through."

He glanced behind him instinctively to see the figured beginning to burst through their little defensive blockade. Damn they'd managed to shift that barricade of furniture quickly! Maybe he should have offered them a job cleaning out Gordon's room from time to time…

Letting out a sigh, he made the sort of split second decision that he'd been making all of his life. Without waiting for Kayo to react, he through himself into the door, slamming it shut behind him. He turned around to face his friend. She was starring at him with wide eyes, unable to quite process what he had done. Scott winced slightly, bracing himself as he struggled to push the door back and keep their attackers out. If he lasted a minute like this, it would be a lot. Taking a few deep breaths, he summed as much strength as he could to push back. He pushed against the sink with his left leg in order to gain just a little something extra to brace himself with. It might have bought him a few seconds.

"Go!" Came his desperate bellowed command as he felt the strain and the men and women on the other side of the door piled into it.

Some might have argued. Kayo didn't. She simply nodded slowly in response. Silently understanding. He could see the pain behind her eyes only too well. Despite everything, the young woman seemed to hesitate as she stood there, lingering indecisively for a split second. Instead of rushing to the door, she stepped forwards and to his shock placed a brief kiss on his lips. He fancied that he could have stayed like that for the next hundred years. She was gone a split second later, disappearing from his view and hopefully to freedom.

They both knew that this could be it for him. If the Mechanic wanted him dead, then these soldiers might very well be the ones tasked with putting a bullet between his eyes. He would have been lying if he said that the prospect didn't frighten him a little. In truth, it seemed rather unreal but there was no denying the thumping of his heart or the part of him which wanted nothing more than to jump out of that window after Kayo. If International Rescue had taught him one thing it was that it was that humans had a very powerful self-preservation instinct and it took a lot to override it in order to risk one's self for the good of another or others. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to hold on to the feel of the young woman's lips against his own. His surprise had prevented him from enjoying the experience fully. He didn't even know if it had meant anything more than 'goodbye'. It was a word he would have liked to say to her.

Standing there, as he gradually felt himself getting pushed back and overwhelmed by their numbers, he tried to force himself to remember just why he was doing this. It was about all he could do to prevent himself from panicking. His brothers, grandmother, Brains, Kayo… Perhaps even the whole world were relying on the crucial information which the head of security had with her. If she made it out alive, then he was going to count that as a victory.

Something was tossed into the room through the door which they had managed to pry open just a crack. He knew what it was. Before he could react however there was a blinding flash of light.

Scott wasn't too sure what happened after that. He felt a sharp pain as he flew forwards but remained otherwise thoroughly dazed. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor. Something or someone heavy was on top of him and it felt like he had a dozen hands grabbing at him. Instinctively, he fought back. It was less actual resistance so much as clumsily struggling, desperately trying to free his hands and feet from whatever was holding them in place. His ears were ringing. Letting out a groan, he tried his best to pull himself together. Even with his eyes open, the information seemed to be struggling to make its way to his brain.

Despite his stunned state, he found himself being hauled to his feet, albeit gently. It was clear that now that they had him, his captors weren't planning on hurting him. Despite that knowledge, he found himself struggling briefly, trying to shake off the iron grips of the young man and woman who had his arms. His vision was still blurry but he was none-the-less aware that there was someone standing just in front of him, only a few feet away.

"Easy Scott… Try not to hurt yourself."

He lowered his head, recognizing the voice of colonel Casey. Commanding but there was something caring behind it also. He knew when he was beat. With any luck, he had been able to buy Kayo a few minutes. Just long enough for her to make her escape. In an instant, he stopped struggling accepting that he was going to have to go along with whatever the GDF told him to do. No doubt, they were going to want him out of this dump. It didn't matter really what happened next but a hotel was no place for them to be trying to keep a prisoner.

Yet the colonel didn't seem to be quite ready for that yet. She lingered for a moment. As always, it was hard to try and figure out just what the woman was thinking. Strangely, she chose to step over the pieces of destroyed furniture and go and stand by the exact same window that Kayo had occupied periodically throughout the rather strange morning. The commander seemed to be distracted. Her attention wondered for a little while. It didn't seem to bother those under her command. He figured that they must have been used to it by now. The older woman let out a heavy sigh, one which didn't seem to quite be able to mask her troubled state of mind:

"Kayo's not going to make it far. She can't… That device she was shot with planted a microchip under her skin. We can track her easily." The colonel's gaze ran over the street before fixing the horizon and the high rises in the distance. "She'll be lucky if she makes it one block."

The words sunk in slowly. It all made some kind of sick sense. How else would the GDF have been able to locate them so easily? They had taken precautions after all. He closed his eyes imagining his friend trying her best to make her escape. Tanusha Kyrano would give them hell and then some. Scott found his will to fight and resist being drained all the same. An unwell feeling came over him as he stood there. He wanted to say something, beg for their help, anything… Nothing came out, instead he just stood there staring. His mind felt as if it was spinning.

"I'm sorry."

He couldn't react. Instead, he just let himself be dragged away by the soldiers. In the back of his mind was one fatal realization which felt as if it meant the world was coming crashing down: they had lost.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews! I'm going to try and keep it at roughly one update a week. Although some chapters will be longer than others and so on but I'm going to try my best._**

 ** _/_**

The corridors were surprisingly quiet given what was going on. They would only encounter the odd soldier or worker. None of them really seemed to pay that much attention to the two men and woman as they walked through the corridors. They stayed relatively close together, walking purposefully forwards though the base. A pair of concerned blue eyes darted around every time they passed by someone else. They would follow the others discretely for a moment, ensuring that they weren't following them or otherwise suspicious.

They were well and truly in the wolf's den now.

Each step that they took brought them further away from safety but closer to their target. It was a dangerous game to be playing. A sort of bizarre snakes and ladders. The serpent in their case however had guns and likely wouldn't hesitate to use them if they realized that they had infiltrators. Thankfully, they remained none-the-wiser. In the hour or so that they had infiltrated the base, so far nobody had so much as bat an eyelid at their presence. If their foes were aware about just who the three of them were, they were staying remarkably quiet about it. It could have all been a ploy but somehow, the woman found herself doubting it. Given how badly they were outnumbered right now, letting enemies wander freely through the corridors freely would ultimately have been more of a risk than it was worth.

As such, she was going to assume that they were safe for now. Still, despite all of the logical arguments which she repeated to herself mentally. Namely that nobody was expecting them to be here, this plan was so insane that they simply wouldn't see it coming and even if they did, they wouldn't be expecting the unlikely team-up who had been the ones to infiltrate their base. Despite all of that however the young woman found herself looking around nervously. It felt as if their camouflage was imperfect and that at any second their foes would see through them.

It was a hard thing to get into their heads that they were in no danger here. The GDF just saw them as comrades. They followed their guide silently, without so much as a complaint. She couldn't speak for her other companion but she found the idea of being in the company of the man to be a thoroughly stomach churning experience. Even right now, with him notionally helping them, she found herself struggling with the urge to punch him in the face. It would have been therapeutic, if rather unproductive. Still, she would have liked to see the faces of colonel Casey and some of her lieutenants if they arrived to find a bloody nosed trespasser.

Shaking her head, slightly, the aristocrat dismissed the notion as being impractical at the current time and decided to try and occupy her mind with other matters. God knew, they were legion… Perhaps the most troublesome of which was just where they were going. In truth, they were following blindly. Their self-proclaimed guide knew this place. This wasn't his first time infiltrating the GDF like this which was probably the only reason that they were putting up with his presence along with the fact that he had been the one to supply their disguises. That wasn't something to be sniffed at as without them, there was no way they would have gotten as far as they had. Unfortunately, perhaps fearing that they might betray him, he had refused to give them a map, telling them simply that he knew the way. Given the state of things, they hadn't been able to argue much. Not even Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was going to argue that this was an act of desperation, pure and simple.

They crossed some more soldiers. It could have been her imagining it but there seemed to be a rather solemn atmosphere hanging over the place. She'd been here before, granted under other circumstances but all the same. Usually, these soldiers would be chatting, exchanging idle banter as they waited for their shifts to be over or to be given some more meaningful orders. There was an unmistakable lethargy around the place. All the enthusiasm seemed to have been drained from them. She supposed, in the light of what they had been asked to do, it was perfectly understandable.

Lady Penelope forced a smile as they walked on past. The two soldiers who walked past hesitated a moment before returning the gesture. The young woman let out a relieved sigh as they passed by. It was enough for their guide to slow down so that he walked by her side. Once more, the urge to get physical came over her as she struggled not to push him away.

"You really should try to relax… At least attempt to act naturally. Otherwise, you two are going to get us caught."

"Unfortunately Hood, we haven't had quite as much practice at deception as you have."

"Then I suggest you learn quickly, if you want to avoid being shot."

Unfortunately, he was right. Penelope realized that much. This was all an act. The disguises were only a relatively small part of it. They would have to do the bulk of the work. Actual GDF soldiers wouldn't be walking around frightened of all of their colleagues and smiling awkwardly. They all had jobs to do and so had to look purposeful. In a way, so did the three of them. Even if their mission was one which right now the GDF high command would disapprove of. In fact, as ironic as it was, she was convinced that only she and Parker were actually enthusiastic about the prospect of breaking Aiman Kyrano out of jail. If he was going along with it, it was only because he realized that his brother was better free if only because it would prevent the Mechanic from having any possible leverage over International Rescue (in particular his niece). That and she got the distinct impression that any points the Hood could score against his enemy were ones he was willing to take a few risks for.

According to the villain, it should have been pretty easy to spring his brother from jail. They had a spear disguise for him. The plan was simply to walk out and leave quickly before anyone realized just what was up. There was no changing just how nerve racking the experience of walking through the GDF base was. Every step she took, the young woman could hear her heart pounding in her chest. It felt as if everything could come collapsing down on them in an instant. Although she might loathe the man, she did try to follow the Hood's instructions.

"Where are we 'eading?" Parker demanded quietly as they came around yet another corridor.

"The cells are this way." The man informed them speaking lowly so as to enforce the notion that silence was key.

They were forced to admit that the Hood knew this place a good deal better than they did. During the course of her time with International Rescue and even before then to some extent with her father, she had had the opportunity walk through the corridors many times before. Unfortunately, never before had she thought to make a note of them. The GDF suddenly turning against them had come as such a surprise that she doubted many of them had had enough time to prepare. This most certainly wasn't a situation she had ever imagined herself being in. Therefore, they had little choice but to turn to knew allies who had a little more experience when it came to dealing with their former foes.

They entered another room or rather a corridor. It was a good thing that their new found ally had resources. He had somehow been able to acquire security passes for all of them. As such, they were able to effortlessly walk through the base without having to worry about any of the systems which would otherwise have alerted the GDF to their presence.

The corridor where they found themselves was one which was lined with cells on either side. They must have been getting close. Lady Penelope said nothing but turned to the Hood. He nodded a couple of times, confirming her guess that this was indeed where his brother was being held. The files weren't all that clear about what state Kyrano would be in. He had been shot in the leg, that much was clear. That being said, he was well enough to have been moved out of the hospital part of the facility and was now in a regular cell. Hopefully, he would be capable of walking out of this place without drawing too much attention to them. The plan, after all, was simply to walk in and out.

They walked along, taking a few steps. It must have been a relatively quiet period for the GDF right now as all of these cells -presumably reserved for criminals or at least their captives – were empty. All, except for one that was. It was occupied by a middle aged man. He sat very calmly on his bed, hands folded across his lap and his eyes closed. Despite his seemingly relaxed appearance, there was no mistaking the look of exhaustion on his drawn features. They were those of a man whose only daughter was currently on the run from a global organization which could very well have orders to kill her for all they knew. If Kyrano was aware of their presence, he was letting on to it. For a moment, the aristocrat found herself wondering if he was even still awake.

The Hood drew her attention, tapping his watch a few times. He was right, they didn't have enough time to keep on standing here like this.

"Kyrano..." It was a low and quiet hiss which she used to draw the man's attention. "We're here to break you out of here."

"And who might you be?" The man opened one eye in order to peer at them. "Some well intentioned soldiers, perhaps? I have no intention of leaving..."

"You idiot!" The Hood barged past them in order to face his brother. "This isn't helping her! You only made yourself a liability!"

Kyrano's expression hardened abruptly. His gaze fell upon his brother. They might still be using their disguises but there was little doubt that Aiman had seen through his brother's in a matter of moments. There was no mistaking the resentment behind his gaze. Perhaps he blamed the Hood for some of what had happened. There was no doubting that in accepting to work alongside the Mechanic, he could be held responsible for at least some of what had happened. Right now, inside their enemies base was not the place to be dealing which such issues. Penelope joined Parker in looking around nervously, praying that nobody would walk in on them right now. By the time that she had turned back. It was clear that International Rescue's former head of security had worked out just who he was dealing with.

"You..." There was no mistaking the loathing behind Kyrano's voice. "What are you doing here?"

"We have a common enemy. I plan to defeat him. That will be a lot easier when we don't have to worry about you being used as a hostage."

"And you think I'll just go along with your plans?" The man abruptly got to his feet and stormed over to the bars so that there was only a few inches between them. "After everything you've done?!"

"Please, Kyrano… We don't have time to argue." Lady Penelope stressed casting a concerned glance back to the door.

It wouldn't take much, just for one guard to walk in on them unexpectedly and they would all find themselves behind bars. The man looked at her puzzled. It suddenly occurred to her that he wasn't seeing Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward but rather some regular GDF soldier. A face and a voice which he didn't recognize and meant nothing to him. Hoping to reassure him a little, she picked out the device that the Hood had given her from her pocket and momentarily switched it off, revealing her features to him. His eyes widened considerably. No doubt the man would have been able to realize that the other man accompanying them was in fact Parker. It wasn't as if she went anywhere without the man, he was by far her most trusted friend and ally, chequered past asides. The man's gaze drifted over them for a moment, studying them carefully.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity he lowered his head and let out in a defeated sigh:

"I take it that you have a plan."

"That we do." She couldn't help but smile as she put her bag down, undoing the zip, a dog's head popped out barking enthusiastically as he saw here once more. She was quick to try and quieten him. "Shh… Not now Bertie..."

"You brought your dog?" Kyrano fixed the pug as it parades around the outside of the cells.

"Unfortunately, Lady Penelope and the mutt seem to be a joint package..." The Hood muttered arms folded across his chest.

"Yes, unlike you, I pride myself on keeping good company." She ignored the glare at the criminal gave her as she handed his brother a GDF uniform. "Here put this on."

She looked away whilst the man changed. Parker was quick to start picking the lock. If they could have Kyrano out of his cell and disguised within the next five minutes, then in theory it should be quite easy to get him back to FAB 1 and to freedom. That would be one thing less for the rest of International Rescue to worry about. No doubt Kayo would be worrying her head off. Hopefully good sense would have prevailed however and she wouldn't try to break her father out of prisoner. The Hood had his doubts however – his niece was a little too unpredictable and hotheaded for his liking - hence the rescue mission. They would have to find a way of letting the others know that they had freed the man of course but that was something to worry about later, when they were in the clear.

There was a click as the door was opened. Kyrano stepped out cautiously, as if he feared that the ground might suddenly give way beneath his feet. He glanced around uncertainly, looking for guidance. His brother was quick to hand him a camouflage device. In a second, the man's face vanished, replaced with that of a stranger with blonde hair. He hesitated a moment, apparently a little confused. This was all rather sudden, she supposed still, they would have to make due. Perhaps later on when they were all safe, they could explain the situation a bit better to him. For the time being however, escaping with their lives was more important. He gave them a nod, informing the group that he was ready. Bending down, Lady Penelope scooped up her dog and slipped him back into her bag. Then, they began their stealthy retreat.

Or so they had hoped.

No sooner had they stepped out than they found themselves nose to nose with a young GDF officer. The man starred at the group of four for a moment, eyes wide. Penelope held her breath. On his own, the man didn't pose much of a threat. However right now, all he would need to do was shout and they would be discovered. For some reason, all any of them could do was stare, too surprised to react or otherwise to speak. Heart thumping like a drum, it crossed the aristocrat's mind that if they were quick and quiet, it might be possible to knock him out and dispose of him just long enough for them to escape. Then, a kind smile appeared on his face:

"You guys got the prison shift, eh?"

"Yeah. Tough luck." The Hood spoke out for them, adopting a knowing smile of his own.

"Watch out for Kyrano. Don't want to any of you guys losing some teeth!" There was a serious warning there, no humour. Penelope cast Kyrano a confused glance, the man looked truly puzzled.

"We just checked him." They allowed the resident criminal, with just a little bit more infiltration experience to continue doing the talking. "He seemed meek enough."

"Oh!" A wave of clarity passed over the man's face as he realized the misunderstanding. "Aiman's harmless! I meant Tanusha."

There was a stunned silence as Lady Penelope felt her blood run cold. They were too late, the realization struck her like a ton of bricks. How or when it had happened didn't really seem to matter right now. All that counted was that their friend had been captured. Panic set in as she found herself wondering if any of the brothers had been taken as well. Could it be possible that all of International Rescue had fallen and that they simply weren't aware? A thousand questions began to swim round in her mind. She felt sick suddenly and weak-kneed. If ever there was a time when it was conceivable that she might collapse, it was those few moments. To her right and left, the colour had drained from her companions' faces as they simply stared in shock, seemingly unable to speak.

It was clear that their reaction was puzzling the young soldier, who raised an eyebrow looking between them. It suddenly struck the woman that if they did nothing, they were going to be discovered. Taking as discrete a breath as possible to calm herself, the lady summoned her courage in order to speak:

"We haven't been to see her yet. This isn't exactly our usual shift."

"You're telling me." A smile reappeared on his face. "Casey's got everyone working overtime! I should have been off two hours ago."

"Tough luck..." Parker was quick to back her up.

"Yeah…" He shrugged indifferently, no doubt tired. "Well, in case you're wondering, she's in cell block 8 down there. Like I said, be careful. They had to sedate her to lock her up. You should have seen what she did to Jameson's jaw, guy's going to be on soup for weeks."

"We'll watch out." Lady Penelope assured the man as she began to lead them in the direction he had designated to them. "Thanks and do try to get some rest!"

"I will!" He bid farewell to them with a wave of the hand.

They reached the door to the cell block the young GDF officer had mentioned. It was practically next door to where her father had been being held. He'd been none-the-wiser. It was a fair bet that the young woman didn't know just how close she was to her parent either. It was probably intended to keep them both a little bit calmer and prevent any possible notions of escaping forming in their minds. Perhaps, Penelope wondered as she recalled that Casey was close to the Kyrano family or at least had been at some point, not informing father that daughter had been captured may have been her idea of a mercy. Especially if she knew what the young woman's fate was going to be. Whatever the case, there was a feeling of dread as they stood in the doorway. She wasn't alone in feeling it. They all seemed to be a little shaken.

It was Kyrano who lead the group into the cell block. The man's expression was grave - understandably - yet he walked steadily, seemingly calmly. Somehow, the lady found herself doubting that he was that composed inside. She could only vaguely try to imagine what it must have been like to learn that her only child had been captured and locked up. It must have been soul destroying. She could only try to put herself in the man's shoes and picture the turmoil which was going on inside of his soul. All of the cells were empty on either side. Penelope shuddered looking around. It must have been maddening to be cooped up in her here for more than a couple of hours. No doubt the isolation was to ensure that there was no chance of her communicating with the outside or otherwise managing to hatch some manner of escape plan. That or maybe she was simply too difficult a prisoner to be kept in anything other than solitary confinement.

They reached the end of the corridor and found Kayo in the last cell on the right. The young woman was lying on her side atop of the covers of the bed. She had been fighting that much was obvious. Her dark hair usually so carefully tied up in a pony tail hung loosely across the fabric. At some point, she had taken a blow to the face as a sizeable portion of her cheek was black and still somewhat swollen. She wasn't asleep, lying there, the head of security for International Rescue just stared out in front of her absently. It took Penelope a moment to recall some of the GDF officer's words. He had mentioned sedatives. It suddenly struck the young woman that her friend might be too drugged up to realize what was going on around her. It was only after maybe a minute that the green eyes flicked up to meet them and she saw the unbridled fury behind them that she realized that if she had been sedated, they had worn off some time ago.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

There was no denying the anger behind her voice. Coming from a friend, it actually hurt. It took Penelope a moment to remember that she didn't seen them – although she probably wouldn't be overjoyed to be face to face with her uncle again – to her eyes they were simply four GDF non-entities gawking at her. The irritation on her face was plain to see. Making it obvious that she thought they were staring at her like an animal at a zoo, maybe even trying to make some kind of point. She shifted slightly, raising her head so as to better be able to see them. With gritted teeth, she shot them another glare giving them a very clear message to leave now. They couldn't though, something caused Penelope and her three companions to remain rooted to the spot.

She suspected that it was a mixture of compassion and total disbelief that this could ever have happened. If she had been asked to bet money on which order International Rescue would have been captured, she would have said with a fair amount of certainty that Kayo would have been last on that list. Yet here she was, behind bars. Penelope's eye fell upon the woman's wrists and noticed for the first time that she was wearing handcuffs. There was another set around her ankles. The intention, the woman guessed was to try and prevent her from being able to hit or kick anyone. It couldn't have been comfortable for her but if the GDF had gone to such lengths, especially under colonel Casey's watch, it was that it was necessary. No doubt, she was quite the troublesome prisoner. All of their sympathy was lost on her, if anything, it only seemed to fuel the anger and resentment, almost as if she perceived it as a mockery of some kind.

Aiman, tentatively took a few steps towards the bars ignoring the increasingly dark and hostile look the young woman was giving him. Lady Penelope, opened her mouth about to give him a warning - it didn't look like she wanted to hear anything the 'GDF' had to say to her - and tell him to switch off his disguise but she was too late.

"Tanusha..."

Kyrano's voice betrayed his heartache. No doubt he had hoped somehow to spare her ending up in GDF custody. Instead, he found his daughter locked up in what was notionally maximum security. Despite everything, there was no way he could conceal the pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she took note of the man's brother. His gaze was fixed momentarily on his elder sibling before travelling back to his niece. She found herself surprised to find some compassion behind the man's usually ruthless eyes. They all hesitated, unsure what to say or do. He'd known for ten minutes know what to expect, yet somehow seeing her caged was enough to stun them all into silence. Aiman's mouth hung open, a thousand words ready to come out and yet only silence to be heard as he realized none of them would mean anything right now.

Curiously, about the only person in the room who didn't seem to pick up on it was his daughter. Rage filled her eyes where a few seconds ago it had merely been irritation. In a flash, she was up on her feet. Despite the chains, she covered the distance separating her bed from the bars in a heartbeat. It was a split second decision which probably spared the girl's father a broken nose as Kayo lashed out. Both of her fists slipped through the bars aimed directly at the man's face and would almost certainly have made contact were it not for his brother quickly pulling him back. The one attempt at a punch was all that it seemed she intended to try, no doubt capable of realizing they were now out of range. Instead, the young woman simply gripped a hold of the bars. White knuckles betrayed how tightly she was gripping them and the anger within. Her next words were low, angry.

"Don't you dare call me that!"

Lady Penelope suspected it wasn't so much the name that she was being called at the fact that she was behind bars in the first place. This anger seemed disproportionate. Her father gave her a pained look which barely even seemed to register. If anything, she gripped the bars of her cell a little tighter. Her friend exchanged an uneasy look with her manservant, they were both acutely aware that they were running out of time. Sooner or later, someone was going to notice that Aiman was no longer in his cell and that would mean they would come looking for those who had freed him. Naturally, they would first start looking where their other prisoners were being held. Slowly, his brother approached.

"If I may..." He took the disguise from his brother and turned it off. There was a little bit of flickering and the face of the stranger vanished, only to be replaced by the face of the man they all knew.

"Bapa!"

Tanusha stopped herself suddenly, practically plastering her hands over her mouth the muffle the surprised shout which had come out. It was one of surprise which couldn't conceal the emotion behind it. It was that of a young woman who had been injured and locked up and who was now faced with her only surviving parent. There was a sense of childish relief, as if someone how the man might be able to make everything better. Seeing that his daughter no longer perceived him as a threat, the man rushed forwards to the bars once more. There was a smile on both of their faces as perhaps for a moment, they forgot about the cause for their reunion and found themselves relieved to simply be in one another's company again.

Parker was quick to rush forwards and begin picking the lock of the young woman's cell. She didn't even appear to notice him, too preoccupied by the presence of her father and presumably the relief which he brought with him.

"You've been fighting again, haven't you?" There was a slight sternness but none-the-less a tender care to the man's words as he took note of some of his daughter's injuries.

"Just a little bit..." She laughed softly but half-heartedly in response. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard you'd been captured." Lady Penelope's eyes drifted back to the door as she spoke. "We were initially just here to save your father but why not have two for one?"

Her eyes widened slightly. It occurred to Penny at that moment that given they all still had their disguises she would be wondering who three of the four people were. Hoping to illuminate things slightly, she removed her disguise allowing the young woman to see. The surprise on her face was obvious. No doubt she could work out just who at least one of the other people were. Given by how the young woman was fixing the device the Hood had given them to allow them to conceal their identities, it was likely that she had worked out that her uncle had something to do with this mess. Her face fell suddenly, she took a few steps back from the bars earning a puzzled look from her father which made no attempt to conceal his worry. Her eyes fell on Parker, the man was still trying his best to pick the lock of her cell.

When she raised her gaze to meet them again, it was with a slow shake of her head. There was no mistaking the pain behind her eyes. It was enough to instantly cause Penelope to worry even before she had heard the words her friend had to say, she knew there was some manner of serious problem. It should have been relief she was displaying. That had vanished way too quickly for her liking. Sure enough, a few moments later Kayo spoke in a quiet voice:

"I can't come..."

"What?.." Kyrano was too surprised to respond in anything more than a whisper.

"The GDF and the Mechanic, they can track me. I don't know how…" Tanusha let out a heavy sigh sitting back down on her bed. "I only made it a mile before… I leave this cell, they'll know. You guys are going to have to go without me."

"You can't expect us to just leave you here!" Her father's declarations were firm, resolute and left little room for argument. "It's not happening Tanusha."

"Yes it is." Her head hung low as she pointed unenthusiastically at the door. "You go out the way you came in, it's right over there."

There was silence on both sides. Penelope turned to face both Kyrano and Parker, looking to them to see what they were making of the situation. The father simply stared at the young woman incredulously. Tanusha's head was lowered, from time to time she might give them a quick and furtive glance, as if to check that they were still there. When she realized that they were, she would go back to the same defeated look sitting there slouched. She couldn't have made it much clearer that she wanted them to give up on their rescue attempt and leave if she had tried. It was apparent that the decision was painful for the young woman yet she still seemed to be standing by her guns. Despite being the London agent, therefore far away from many of the realities of day-to-day life on Tracy Island, she had heard from the brothers and learned from personal experience that Kayo was absurdly stubborn at times. She would not be backing down from this decision of hers.

Parker continued to pick the lock, should they suddenly have a change of mind, it would save time. Aiman was right, they simply couldn't leave the young woman here. Things were too risky right now and there was too much change of her being caught in the crossfire of the continuing conflict between International Rescue or whatever remained of it, the GDF and the Mechanic. Before either her or the girl's father could intervene, the Hood stormed forwards practically throwing himself into the bars as he yelled:

"Don't you understand?! If the Mechanic wakes up tomorrow and decides that he wants you dead then they'll kill you in a heartbeat! Don't think these GDF lapdogs will spare you because you were once their friend! You're nothing to them. That's if you're lucky!"

That at least got her to look at them again. She fixed the man for a moment, a frown on her face as she no doubt tried to figure out just who was behind the digital mask. The outburst caused a mixture of surprise and concern. Lady Penelope couldn't help but look nervously towards the door. A few more outbursts like that one and they would be found out for sure. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from requesting that they keep the volume down. Tensions were running high enough as it was without anything else getting mixed in. Kayo managed to return the angry look that her uncle was giving her, making it quite clear that she knew who he was. She must have figured it out a while ago. Then it suddenly vanished once more, giving way to a much calmer look of acceptance:

"Then I'll die tomorrow..."

"Tanusha..." Aiman began once more practically begging.

"No!" The young woman got to her feet resolutely and came back over to the bars. "If I come, all that's going to happen is you're going to get caught. Then we'll be worse than back to square one. Listen, you've got to find my communicator. There's data on their Brains can use, it'll give us a chance. You can find their coordinates on it too… See if you can find Scott-"

"'e's here too?!" Parker perked up finally stopping his work.

"I don't know." Kayo looked down at her feet. "We got separated. I'd guess so… But what's really important is the data on that communicator."

Outside, they heard some voices. They were hushed, quietly chattering. Turning back towards the door, they were able to make out the forms of a couple of soldiers walking past. Breaths were held as if they feared that even the slightest whisper would betray their current position. For a terrifying moment, it seemed as if they might have stopped. Her heart in her mouth, Penelope found herself shrinking away into the darkness, hoping to go undetected. Her allies also slowly backed away from the door and further into the depths of the corridor. Only Kayo remained rooted where she was, eyes resting firmly on the door, a grave expression marking her face, silently willing them to move on. It could only have been a few seconds but it felt like an eternity waiting there with their hearts in their mouths.

Then, very slowly, the soldiers moved on once more. Silence reigned as they finally disappeared both from view and earshot. Still, the group remained frozen in place by fright for a few seconds, like a deer in the headlights. It was as if moving even a muscle could potentially cause the GDF to come running back and descend upon their position. Then, as if something somewhere gave all of them the exact same signal and told them that they were in the clear, they released a collective sigh of relief confirming to Penelope that she hadn't been the only one holding her breath. In her cell, Kayo closed her eyes lowering her head whilst she maintained a tight grip on the bars. It was an angry order which she gave through clenched teeth letting them know that she had run out of patience:

"Get going!"

"If you insist in playing the hero and making stupid pointless sacrifices then at least take this." The Hood threw a small device into her cell, it crashed against the wall before rolling to her feet. She picked it up cautiously. "It's a tracking device."

"Thanks uncle. I didn't think you cared..." Tanusha muttered slipping it into the pocket of her trousers. "Now get out!"

Her voice left little room for argument. The Hood huffed slightly, turning his back quickly before heading back to the door. Kayo nodded slowly, as if this somehow suited her before going back to simply holding onto the bars.

They exchanged pained looks. The GDF officers who had passed by had reminded them of just how precarious their current situation was. It wouldn't take much for them to be discovered and end up behind bars themselves. In their heart of hearts, they knew that she was right. Maybe that's what made it so difficult. Kayo kept her head low so that she wouldn't have to look them in the eye as they slowly made their way back towards the exit. It was tempting to say something, give her a few last words of encouragement or something similar. They felt as if they would be useless however. For a moment, Penelope almost considered saying "to hell with it" and trying to break the young woman out anyway. Unfortunately, she felt that she knew the head of security well enough to know that she would only refuse to accompany them, potentially becoming physical if she considered it necessary. As such, the three of them, slowly and silently made their way towards the door aware that they would all have heavy hearts and a sense of terrible regret in a couple of minutes which would dwarf the ones that they currently had.

Aiman seemed to be lingering. Penelope glanced over her shoulder. The man hesitated a moment, forbidden in front of his daughter for a moment before cautiously reaching out so as to touch her right hand which was still holding onto the bars seemingly for dear life. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. There was no denying the pain and perhaps even fear behind her green orbs which were a little more watery than she was accustomed to letting others see. The response that she earned was a kind and understanding smile, one which smoke of the father's love for his only child. He gently reached out slipping his arm behind her neck, he gently pulled her a little closer and leaned in himself so that their foreheads were touching.

"Stay strong..."

She nodded but said nothing as her father pulled away. One last pained look, a silent farewell and they were running again.

Parker waited patiently outside but the Hood already seemed to be on his way strolling quickly down the corridor. A panicked look from her manservant was enough to remind the aristocrat that she had removed her disguise. Quickly, she turned it back on again along side Kyrano. The man said nothing, no doubt he had enough on his mind already. Remembering that he was essentially their guide, the three of them sped up so as to be able to catch up. All the while, the pained image of Kayo's look as she realized she was going to be left behind continued to haunt Penelope. She dreaded to imagine what it felt like for the girl's father.

They continued storming through the corridors moving faster than they had before. It was only a matter of time until someone noticed that Kyrano had flown the coop. Once that happened, it would only be a matter of moments until they were eventually caught. Still, something didn't seem quite right. It wasn't until they had been walking for about five minutes that Penelope finally figured out just what it was.

"We're heading away from the cells!"

"Yes. We need to find Kayo's communicator!" The Hood's patience seemed to be nearing its end.

"Hang on!" Parker sped up his walking suddenly as he began to protest. "But Master Scott could be here!"

"I only have four disguises!" The man's spoke almost too loudly before regaining some control. "Anyway, do you think he would accept to leave without Kayo? I doubt it and we don't have enough time to get into another argument!"

"So you propose just leaving them here?!" Anger threatened to boil over inside of her.

"Yes. Their best chance now is what ever information my niece and your friend acquired that she seems to think is so important. It's that or nothing."

Lady Penelope opened her mouth, wanting desperately to argue to let him know that they were going back to try and free the eldest of the brothers. If he was even here that was. Something stopped her however she didn't know what it was but it hurt. Although not quite as much as the little voice inside which told her that try as she might to argue, she didn't because she knew he was right. As of now, they only had one option to save their friends...

/

The doors to cell block 8 opened abruptly. In stepped eight GDF soldiers accompanied by their commander. They walked briskly down the corridor. All were armed and prepared for the worst. A thousand curses circulated in the colonel's mind as she found herself storming along so as to get past her men and be in front of the group. She already knew full well what she would find in the only cell occupied in this part of the prison. The security cameras had told them what to expect. Still, given what had happened, she found it almost difficult to believe her eyes, even as she reached the bars and looked in. One Kyrano cell was empty, why wouldn't the other one be?

Yet there she was. The prisoner was sitting on her bed, quite sedately. Her eyes were closed but there was no denying that she knew they were there. Not even under the stern gaze of Colonel Casey did she do so much as deign to look up.

They had become aware of their intruders some time ago when someone had gone to give Aiman Kyrano his diner only to find the cell completely empty. A brief panic later, they had gone over the CCTV to discover just who was responsible. A team-up between Lady Penelope, Parker and the Hood was something to be feared and frankly not a possibility which had ever occurred to the colonel or anyone in the GDF frankly. It was proof of desperation from the part of both parties. Yet it had yielded results, Kayo's communicator had been stolen whilst its owner remained behind bars. Curious given that their stolen access passes indicated that they had paid her a visit…

The young woman wasn't a fool. She would know full well what all of this was about. She wasn't even playing dumb or trying to deny it. At some point, Casey found herself wondering when her friend's little daughter had become so brave. She was braver than she should have been. That was all that the increasingly jaded commander could think to herself as she fixed the girl she had watched become a woman. Green eyes flickered up to meet brown ones, neither of them averted their eyes or shied away from what was happening. The colonel once more forced herself to remain forged from ice and steel which could neither melt nor crack and to try and keep her own personal feelings out of the matter as she dealt with Kayo. Out of all of her godchildren, she was perhaps the most unpredictable and dangerous. That unfortunately meant that she had to be treated as such.

Taking a step back, she turned to her men, none of whom dared take their eyes off of the prisoner. Sternness was required at times like this as she needed to become the most terrifying person in the room, if her commands were to be obeyed.

"Search her!" They exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating in silence with clear reluctance to go anywhere near the cell. "Now!"

There was little concealing their apprehension as they opened the door. They entered quickly. They weren't armed. Casey had forbidden firearms anywhere near the young woman. Whilst it was a fear that she might be able to somehow grab one, the colonel's main concern was that she could do something foolish and spook one of the soldiers. Panicked men with guns was a recipe for one thing: an accident. The last thing she wanted was Kayo Kyrano being shot over something so ridiculous. With her men armed only with truncheons and tasers, she could be relatively sure that at worst, the young woman would be stunned or wound up with a nasty bruise.

It was almost comical how they positioned themselves around her. Their behaviour would have been better suited to dealing with a bomb than a prisoner. Tanusha's eyes drifted around slowly, resting on each of them one by one. Finally, a woman gathered enough courage to step forwards and grab hold of her arm. She encountered no resistance. Kayo appeared to be strangely sedate as they patted her down, searching her pockets in search of anything which had been given to her by the intruders. She put up with it without saying so much as a word. All throughout, her eyes remained fixed on those of the commander never looking away.

Apparently she had nothing on her. Strange indeed. The colonel raised an eyebrow as her men hurriedly excited the cell. As one of them passed, a sparkle of mischief in the woman's green eyes caught Casey's attention. Before she could do anything, Kayo stomped her foot loudly causing the withdrawing soldiers to jump. She was relatively fortunate not to get shocked. Thankfully, it would seem that the men and women were more eager to get out of there than to risk a fight. On all accounts, Kayo had fought like a tiger. It had been a nightmare to catch her. Living up to both her name and reputation, she had knocked out or injured half a dozen of the GDF's best before they had finally been able to get her under some form of control. Even locked up and caged, she'd continued to cause problems sending another two to the infirmary…

The colonel motioned for the others to leave, which they did without hesitation. Perhaps a brief one, looking over their shoulders to ensure that she would be alright but they most definitely didn't protest. Casey watched them with a critical eye, waiting for them to leave before turning to the prisoner and declaring:

"Congratulations. You have all of my men scared stiff."

That earned a grin. The knowledge that she was responsible for terrifying others seemed to please the young woman. Casey couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight. Taking a step forwards, she opened the door. The commander exercised extreme caution. Despite their relationship – as complex as it was – right now, despite her external experience, the young woman would be terrified even if she didn't realize it herself. That made her unpredictable and liable to do something stupid. Her green orbs followed the colonel carefully, not even doing so much as blinking. She took the precaution of ensuring the door was shut behind her. Kayo didn't move, watching the older woman warily or rather what she had in her hands.

It was a brown paper bag, with no logos or words on it to clue the young woman in to what it might contain. No doubt there would be several possible scenarios running through her mind right now as she tried to work out what the colonel had with her and how to react to it. With any luck, she would be smart enough to realize that she was unlikely to have ordered her men to leave if she intended to do anything which might object to. None-the-less, it was best to err on the side of caution and warn her what to expect. After all, Casey doubted that the young woman would object too much:

"I brought you diner."

Eyebrows raised curiously. Unwilling to get too close, Casey reached out offering her the bag. The young woman eyed it suspiciously for a moment. Obviously hesitating. Perhaps more than Scott, the head of security realized that the Mechanic was pulling the GDF's strings, even hers. The fact that she was an old friend of Jeff Tracy and Aiman Kyrano as well as their godmother meant next to nothing right now. It was only natural that she would be cautious. It could be rat poison she was being offered for all that she knew. As such, she was given some time to weigh up her options. Finally, hunger seemed to outweigh any of her concerns.

She took the bag, moving slowly so as not to potentially spook the commander. The handcuffs caused her to fumble slightly as she opened it. Surprised flashed across her features as she saw what was inside. Kayo sat down on her bed before opening her mouth. She spat something out into her hand. Casey frowned going on tiptoes so as to peer and see what it was. To her surprise, Kayo offered her a fleeting glance. A tracking device… A gift from her uncle no doubt. _Clever girl…_ For the briefest of seconds, a smile flickered across the colonel's face. She cast a brief glance to the security camera, thankfully, they were just out of sight. Tanusha pulled out a bagel from the paper bag followed by a can of beer (giving her a bottle was naturally out of the question). No doubt the kid's father would have had her head had he known that she was giving his only daughter booze, the woman mused for a moment.

It was obvious that she was hungry. She hadn't been in much of a state to be able to enjoy lunch, still trying to shake off the sedatives they had been forced to administer to make her even vaguely compliant (or rather to stop her from breaking any more jaws). This could easily be her first decent meal in a day or so. She watched painfully as the young woman struggled to move her hands around in a way which would allow her to eat. They were bound together so tightly that they had become cumbersome. The colonel hesitated briefly before letting out a sigh.

"If I undo your handcuffs, are you going to make me regret it?"

Kayo shook her head negatively. Still with her guard up, the colonel took a couple of steps forwards. The young woman stretched her arms out offering her easy access to the handcuffs. Very carefully, Casey released the young woman's hands. She was ready for anything. The young woman had earned her nickname through knocking others unconscious. Whilst the older woman liked to think that she was far from a pushover, she wasn't about to test her own skills against those of International Rescue's head of security. Thankfully, the young woman didn't so much as budge proving to be the picture of diligence and good behaviour. A far cry from how she had been earlier that day.

Casey stepped back, allowing her to eat and drink with a little more privacy. As one of her men or rather women had discovered to her expense earlier on in the day, Kayo didn't much like being stared at like some animal in a cage. As such, the commander allowed her attention periodically to wonder around so as to avoid focusing on her for too long. She couldn't leave until she had got the bag and can back. So she waited patiently, she wasn't about to hurry the young woman along right now given the current situation. She closed her eyes, trying not to linger for too long on tomorrow and focus on the now. A quiet but strangely calm voice however cut through the silence which had been reigning:

"The Hood-" Tanusha stopped herself closing her eyes for a moment before starting again. "My uncle said I might die tomorrow."

The woman let out a sigh. That was the very question she had been dreading. It was only natural for someone to wonder about their fate. She had been expecting Kayo to ask what was going to happen to them sooner or later. Scott had been rather faster off the mark, demanding almost instantly. His friend seemed to be rather more inclined to wait. Now that she did though, the colonel found herself facing the same dilemma as she had when she had been asked the first instance. She had been foolish enough to think that answering would have been easier the second time. Tanusha waited patiently, her green eyes and stoic demeanour gave nothing away. No fear, no anger… Just waiting to hear if she was on death's row or not. The answer of course was that she was. The only question was whether or not her execution or murder, whichever you chose to call it would be tomorrow or once the Mechanic had finished playing with them and if they would be fortunate to get a reprieve in the form of a timely rescue from their friend and family.

"You might..." Casey let out a heavy sigh, dark brown eyes resting on the young woman. "We're handing you over to the Mechanic tomorrow. After that you're in his hands I'm afraid."

She let the young woman take in the news, slowly. She would know better than most what falling into enemy hands meant. It was not a safe place to be. What neither of them knew was if he simply wanted to dispatch them personally or rather intended to get some information from them first. Kayo took a sip of her beer, no doubt longing for something a little strong. She emptied the can in a single go. Closing her eyes before resting it against her forehead, she stayed like that for a moment, almost frozen in place. No doubt the words were still settling in. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh before dumping the can in the bag and handing it back to the commander. Casey nodded once gratefully before making her way back to the door.

"Can I tell you something?"

"It will have to be quick." The colonel gave the camera a careful glance knowing full well that enemies she knew she had and some which she didn't could and almost certainly would be watching.

"I'm scared."

The statement stopped the colonel in her tracks. Kayo wasn't usually one for being so open with her feelings. More often than not, she kept that sort of thing bottled up inside. Her thoughts and emotions were hers alone and she seemed to chose when to broadcast them and when not to. Right now though, there was no denying or concealing the obvious fear behind her eyes. For a moment, she felt as if she was dealing with the young girl who was afraid of the dark and stubbornly refused to go back to bed until someone had come and personally inspected under her bed and closet to ensure there were no monsters hiding anywhere. Right now however, she couldn't make that promise she had many years ago and tell there were none. Casey felt a lump form in her throat, knowing she would be handing her over to the monster in a few hours.

She should have said something inspiring: words which would have comforted, reassured and given her something to fight for. Instead, all that slipped out came out was a single confession:

"You and me both kid… You and me both."


	12. Chapter 12

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the replies! Got this chapter up quickly for me. Hopefully it will make up for all the ones I was a bit late with._**

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Virgil carried one of the crates over to Thunderbird 4. He was trying to work out in his head how many of these things he and Gordon would require during their underwater venture to the American continent, then the journey on land. He would also have to allow for them potentially having to lie low or wait for a couple of days and then the trip back with Scott and Kayo in tow. They had done the calculations half a dozen times, he just wanted to ensure that they were correct. None of them were much good when hungry and he couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in a confined space with his younger brother for days potentially if he was hungry. He could be hard enough to tolerate even on the best of days sometimes.

His brother was inside of his faithful yellow submarine ensuring that all of its systems were functioning correctly. Best not to disturb him. He needed a bit of space at the moment. Gordon didn't like all of this sitting around and waiting. Hence the need to keep him entertained or more accurately busy whilst the rest of them dealt with some of the more tedious aspects of planning ahead. No doubt he would already be on his way if it weren't for the rest of them cautioning him constantly.

The second eldest of the brothers understood. He really did.

Not knowing was in many ways had proved to be more painful than being in the loop. With no communications from their brother and semi-adopted sister, naturally they had begun to worry. Scott and Kayo were arguably the most vulnerable members of International Rescue at the moment. They had neither the luxury of seclusion on a desert island or the remoteness of space to protect them. They were trapped on mainland USA. That left them both at risk from the GDF and everyday civilians who might want to try and help out however they could. It wasn't an enviable position and one which the two brothers hoped to be able to remedy by mounting an impromptu rescue mission of their own.

It was a risk. They had debated it for the best part of a day on and off. Weighing up the pros and cons. This island had proved to be able to shield them well enough. Leaving it would automatically mean that they would be exposing themselves to the threats of the outside world which meant both the Mechanic and GDF. If Scott was to be trusted, neither would hesitate to shoot if they saw them. On the other hand, every moment that their family spent apart only multiplied the chances of something happening to them. That and they still had with them the data which Brains so desperately needed if they ever wanted to put an end to this madness. In short, they actually didn't have all that much choice. They had put it off for as long as possible, perhaps a little too long, hoping that they would contact them and say that everything was alright and they were trying to find their way to the safehouse. All they'd been treated to was silence. Now it was time to move.

Grandma and Brains were playing their part, although for safety reasons they planned to stay on the island near Thunderbird 2 and so that they could potentially greet Kayo and Scott should they turn up by some miracle. That was looking increasingly unlikely as time was marching on. There was a growing sense of foreboding amongst the group. None of them had dared to voice their doubts yet but there was no mistaking the look that his grandmother gave him. A pained and worried one which spoke silently for its owner. She was scared. They all were. This long without at least some very basic contact didn't bode well. The group was aware that something had probably happened. Whether that meant that the rest of their family was simply lying extremely low or that something far more terrible had happened to them.

The latter was most definitely not something which he felt that he could face right now. For the time being, he was simply going to presume that they were both alright. If they weren't, all of this would be for less than nothing…

A little hologram appeared next to him, broadcast curtsy of MAX. Virgil mustered the most reassuring and in control smile he could possibly muster. He suspected that the space monitor saw through him in a matter of moments - after all, John was used to dealing with his various siblings trying to play it cool during rescues – but he didn't react, only offering him a slight smile of his own which spoke of his weariness.

"Hey bro!" Virgil was first to speak, trying to re-inject some life into their conversation and take their minds off of what was happening. "How are things looking from space?"

"Still all quiet." The red haired brother assured him glancing away as he checked the map once more.

"Well. No news is good news." It was a lie and he knew it. "How's Alan doing?"

"Fine. He's helping Ridley scan all the wavelengths, we need to see if we can locate them before you two charge off anywhere."

"Hey, maybe I'm being dumb but can't we just activate Kayo's commicator's GPS?"

Up on board the space station, John turned around to face his youngest brother. Alan came drifting over, whilst Ridley continued to work for a few moments. They had to give the youngest his credit, he had been working just as tirelessly as the rest of them these past few hours. Work kept the demons of boredom and to a lesser extent concern away, it prevented them from lingering for too long on the radio silence.

His younger brother, much to everyone's surprise, had somehow managed to stay remarkably calm throughout out everything. They had all been fretting about him. This was the first time he had been confronted to something like this. Jeff's disappearance, although both violent and dramatic, had had the advantage of being quick and over in a flash, even if its aftermath hadn't been. Scott had been keen to try and shield their youngest from some of the panic and the stress that the event had entailed. When it had come apparent that they had lost their father, the eldest had somewhat subconsciously stepped into the role as far as their littlest sibling was concerned. Now though, it was practically impossible to keep him distanced from what was going on. Despite that, he didn't seem to be taking it as badly as they had thought he might do. In his mind, it was obvious that the rest of their family were simply lying low. They were both simply too good to get caught out.

John let out a sigh. Whilst there was some merit in his brother's suggestion and ordinarily he would have agreed to going along with it without hesitation, the fact was right now it was simply too dangerous to try and contact them on anything other than a secure channel. It wasn't just their position which they risked giving away. The incident with the GDF ship, although seemingly simply a coincidence, had spooked him into being more cautious. They couldn't afford any mistakes right now. Shaking his head, he decided to remind his brother of that much:

"No. All it would take is for the GDF or the Mechanic to pick up on the signal and they'd be toast and so would we."

"Not if it was just a quick blip. Just so that we could pinpoint their location." Alan gave him his usual smirk when he knew that he had thought of something which hadn't occurred to one of his older brothers. "Not even the Mechanic could pick up on that."

The middle brother played the idea over a couple of times in his head trying to spot any flaws in his sibling's logic. It wouldn't take much, just one mistake, a single oversight and they would all be done for. As such, he contemplated the notion in depth. He could tell from the faces of those stuck on the island which were visible to him as small holograms that they were doing the same. John knew what could and couldn't be done as far as communications were concerned. Thunderbird 5 had practically been his life for some years now. As such, he was able to work out quite quickly that it was not only possible but potentially a very good idea. A smile crept over his face as he did so.

"Your brother's a smart one, isn't he?" Ridley's voice drew his attention as she floated over to him.

"Yes he is." The beaming look of joy and pride on Alan's face was almost enough to cause him to start laughing.

"John, I'm picking up a news broadcast on all major channels. The GDF seem to be involved..."

"Keep an eye on it EOS. Virg, you and Gordon might want to wait until we have at least a rough idea of where the others are."

"FAB." Came the reply from the island.

There was no sense the two brothers setting out anywhere until they knew just where their friends would be. It was unlikely but they could have skipped continents or even potentially be on their way to the island. Thunderbird 4 going in search of them was pointless without a destination or perhaps more accurately, a stab in the dark. If they waited a few minutes though – that was roughly the time which he estimated it would take to get everything set up – then they would at least have a rough destination.

He began entering the data into Thunderbird 5's systems. Ordinarily, he could have done it in a matter of seconds. Right now however, he was being triply cautious. His father had been wise enough to enable the space station to be almost undetectable out in space – sometimes, his son couldn't help but wonder if the man hadn't had some idea that this (or at least something similar) might happen – that didn't mean however that they could afford to be cavalier. It was a fair bet that after a little over a week with no news of International Rescue, the GDF would be getting quite desperate to be able to show that they had even the slightest lead. That would mean that they would be scanning almost everything for the slightest whisper of the Thunderbirds and their pilots.

They would have to be discrete.

Ridley and Alan helped him. The four of them formed a relatively good team. For a moment, he contemplated asking EOS about the broadcast but decided that it could wait. She would let them know if it was anything important. For the time being what counted was finding just where Scott and Kayo had gotten off to so that they could mount something resembling a recovery mission.

"Okay. Lets see where they are..."

He launched the scan. It was only a couple of seconds, a brief wavelength which would leave no trace. At most, it would be a blip. That was all that they needed. If they knew where the rest of their family was, then they might be able to do some more in depth searching to try and pinpoint them. Right now, it was just so that they had a vague idea of just where they should have been looking. Whilst being able to go unnoticed was by any standards an asset, it had proved to be troublesome in its own way. It was impossible for them to work out if their family was safe or not if they didn't even know where on Earth to start looking. Thunderbird 5's systems, as sophisticated as they were were of little to no use to them.

There it was, a single blip. The screen scrolled out to reveal just where they were. John found his eyes widening considerably. He had to look twice to confirm that he wasn't imagining things and that was their position. It could only mean one of a few things and knowing Scott and Kayo, he was fairly sure that they wouldn't have decided to go for a sudden swim. He could barely contain his own excitement as he turned to the others on the island:

"You're not going to believe this but they're heading straight for you!"

"What?"

Instantly, Virgil turned around and ran over to Thunderbird 4. Gordon was still inside. He remained blissfully unaware of the development still checking all of his trusty submarine's systems. They had decided against notifying him about the scan not because they didn't think it was any of his business but rather that nobody had been expecting them to get such a result. His brother practically tore off the airlock as he ran in to inform him. The aquanaut jumped slightly, instinctively fearing the worse. He got to his feet, panic stricken before he noticed the beaming smile on his elder sibling's face.

"They're coming this way squid! Come on!"

Both quickly clambered out of Thunderbird 4 to rejoin the rest of their family on the beach. Gordon was naturally still trying to piece some things together in his mind. It didn't matter how or why they were coming, he told himself. All that was important was that very soon, they would be together again and hopefully would stand a chance of being able to stand up to the Mechanic. Better yet, the prospect of a reunion abruptly brought back the second youngest brother's fighting spirit as he found himself longing to bring the fight to their enemy. Excitement began to build in the pit of his stomach as he stood there and waited for John and the others on Thunderbird 5 to get a little more information for them.

In the back of the Space Monitor's mind there was the very real eventuality that they could have been prisoners on board of a GDF flyer in which case it was evacuation and not celebration which was called for. As he scanned though, he found no trace of anything to do with their allies turned enemies. They seemed to be looking elsewhere for International Rescue right now. There was quite a lot of chatter on the line concerning the Mechanic but he discarded that as nothing usual. The world's governments were still trying to find their feet as far as the man who was holding them all to ransom was concerned. Right now, almost 80% of what was being said on official channels was about the villain. They could filter the information later to see if they could find anything useful. For the time being however, Kayo and Scott both took priority.

"I don't believe it..."

The words slipped out of his mouth as he completed yet another scan. The two of them (they were assuming that they were still travelling together) were moving quite quickly. Too slowly for Thunderbird 1 or Thunderbird S, at least if they were travelling at their regular speed. The shape he was looking at on the screen wasn't that of either of the mighty Thunderbirds either. That being said, it most definitely wasn't a motorboat. There weren't many which would have been happy at those speeds on the open seas. It took him a second to recognise the signature of the craft he found himself to be looking at and a little longer to actually be able to believe what he was seeing.

He could see the anxious looks on the rest of his family's face as they waited to hear just what he had to say. They could tell from his expression that it wasn't anything serious or to be feared. Still, they were anxious to discover just what could possibly have the usually stoic and reserved space monitor struck dumb:

"What? What is it?" Gordon's voice could barely contain its excitement.

"You're not going to believe it but they're in FAB1!"

It was impossible not to notice the aquanaut's face light up. Even after they had been able to make contact with the others, not knowing about Lady Penelope and Parker seemed to have weighed far heavily on his mind than anyone else's. They all assumed that the aristocrat was more than capable of looking after herself and either lying low until it all blew over or working on a plan of her own. Largely because of the fact that there was Earth's atmosphere between him and the rest of his family, John had only been able to pick up bits and pieces from Virgil. What had been made clear to him though was that their resident Squid boy hadn't been taking any of this very well. It was good to see a smile back on his face.

A thousand questions seemed to come from everyone at once. He tried his best to note them down in his head whilst he continued to run a few more scans. There was no denying it was the world's pinkest Rolls Royce. The craft was thundering across the ocean heading straight for the safe house. At the rate it was travelling at they wouldn't have to wait all that long for it to arrive. Making an effort to maintain a cool head, he reminded himself that a lot of things could have happened. There was no guaranteeing that his brother and semi-adopted sister hadn't split up at some point… They would likely have to wait until they had reached dry land before getting the full story. In the meantime, he could at least try and let his brothers, grandma and Brains know what they could expect or rather who:

"One. Two. Three..." He counted out loud so that all might be able to hear him. "Four human lifeforms on board!"

"Human?" Alan chuckled curious as to why he would point it out.

"I'm guessing the dog is Sherbert!"

They were there! They were all there! Hope began to form up inside of him like an unstoppable force. For a moment, his hands hung less than half an inch above the commands as he prepared to attempt to contact the others to let them know that they knew they were coming and also perhaps to give them a row for scaring them. Something stopped him however. Grandma would get to do that much herself when they arrived. At this rate, they would be at the island in a matter of moments anyhow. Calling wouldn't make much sense. No point in opening up yet another radio channel which could potentially be intercepted. They would just have to hang tight and be patient. Given how long they had waited already, it shouldn't be too much of a challenge in theory.

On the island, they all waited anxiously looking out to sea for the faintest glimpse of pink. On a perfectly blue ocean, it shouldn't be a very difficult colour to spot. Strangely, none of them spoke. The excitement and anticipation seemed to remove the need for words. They were all thinking the same thing. The optimism had returned as well as a mighty sense of hope. With all of International Rescue united they might actually stand a chance. Kayo was carrying with her the data which Brains desperately needed to be able to locate the Mechanic. If they could just get that much, then they would be able to come up with some sort of a plan.

There was a literal scream of excitement from Gordon as just on the horizon, the pink car came into view. They were indeed travelling on the water as opposed to flying. Apparently, they had considered it to be a safer and more discrete way to travel. Well… As discrete as you could be in a bright pink Rolls Royce. The second youngest brother would probably have run into the waves if it weren't for a mixture of Grandma and Virgil stopping him, laughing and teasing him slightly as they did so. In Thunderbird 5 they listened. Deprived of their eyes, they were having to rely on the others for a rough description of what was going on. Still, from the general merry atmosphere, they were able to make out that the miracle car was slowly but surely coming closer. They waved to it enthusiastically signalling them.

Up on board the space station, John let out a content sigh as he watched the little dot slowly closing in on the safe house. He felt a familiar hand take a hold of his, fingers intertwining. He couldn't hold back a smile as he turned to face Ridley. The look on her face was one of knowing reassurance, as if she had somehow suspected that it would all work out somehow. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Alan. His youngest brother still seemed to be confused by the captain's presence. He didn't quite know where to stand on the matter and so floated there, starring at them. The space monitor smiled and reached out, he managed to slip an arm around his sibling's shoulders and pull him closer. The lad tensed up, evidently surprised before finally given in to the affection and giving his brother a hug of his own.

In those few moments of bliss as he realized that FAB 1 had reached the island, he allowed himself to relax and momentarily tell himself that everything was okay. Granted, they were far from out of the woods yet but give it a while and it felt as if they might just be able to break free from this nightmare. He allowed himself to get lost in the dream to an extent that he no longer registered the fact that although the car had reached the island, there was nothing but silence from the other end. It was only when Virgil spoke that the spell was broken:

"John… Something's wrong. Kayo and Scott they're-"

"John!" EOS's voice cut right across Virgil harshly. "You need to see this!"


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's note: Thanks once more for the reviews. As I said, I'm going to try and keep it at one chapter a week give or take a few days.**_

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The doors to one of the numerous prison cells opened steadily. A young man sat on the end of his bed, head hung low as he waited. Knowing who was coming for him and just where they were going to lead them. A group of four soldiers stopped just outside of his cell. They looked in, eyes scanning to ensure that all was well and that nothing had changed. He had already been searched twice to ensure that he hadn't been able to sneak anything into his cell. Once when they had captured him for the first time and then later after they had realized that they had received visitors. Both times, he had been unarmed. Still, they were cautious. They treaded carefully, following procedure to the letter and glad that they had been given what was notionally the easier of the two assignments.

The prisoner raised his blue eyes to meet theirs. There was no way to miss the dark bags under his eyes. The guard and security cameras had confirmed that he hadn't slept all that much the night before. Understandable given the circumstances. His gaze lingered on them for a moment before he nodded slowly, a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He nodded slowly, accepting what he knew was going to happen.

The soldiers entered the cell carefully. Still, he didn't move. He waited, fully compliant for them to tell him to get to his feet. He did so calmly barely even batting an eyelid. It was as if he had been doing this for all of his life. They still were careful but somehow seemed to sense the fact that the man had already surrendered to his fate. He would give them no hassle. Even as they put on the handcuffs, securing his arms behind his back, he barely even reacted. Only a wince allowed them to know that they were tight enough and that there was no way he could conceivably escape. They lead him out of his cell. The man walked along diligently. With his long legs, he could have outpaced them in a couple of strides. Instead, he adapted his pace so that they didn't struggle neither dragging his feet, nor storming along.

Despite the man's good behaviour, his escort remained cautious. They allowed him some space but the two men up from maintained a firm grip on each of his arms, ready to grab him least he try and escape. He didn't. His gaze was focused mainly on the ground as he walked along. His mind elsewhere, perhaps with his brothers or the young woman whom they had locked up at the same time as him. The future would no doubt also be a subject of concern for him. Nobody knew where he would be in a few hours. It would be a subject which lingered on his mind constantly. Naturally, aware of what the man was capable of, he would almost certainly be imagining the worst possible scenarios whether he wanted to or not. It could have been the cause of the somewhat unexpected docility they were expecting.

Some men who maybe only had a few minutes to live would have been fighting for their lives rather than calmly allowing themselves to be lead along.

They walked for only a little over five minutes. Occasionally, they would pass another group of soldiers or a worker, they would avert their gaze, unwilling to look the prisoner in the eye. It barely even seemed to register with the man. Time was of the essence. To be exact, everything had been worked out so precisely that they couldn't afford to be late. With their prisoners due to be handed over in one hour precisely, the Colonel and the rest of those in charge of organizing the hand-over had been worked off of their feet. As such, it was vital that they encountered no problems loading them into the vans. A compliant prisoner was therefore both a welcome surprise and ensured that they wouldn't risk keeping the Mechanic waiting.

They stopped outside a prison van eventually, the young man looked inside starring at the vehicle as if he had never seen one before in his life. They were greeted by a young officer. The young man was going over a check-list carefully, ensuring that they followed all of the procedure to the letter and had no unpleasant surprises further along the line. He raised his dark eyes to meet the man's blue, quickly darting away. In his right hand, he held out a clean red rag. The man frowned uncertainly.

"Sorry about this. Mechanic's orders."

"Where's Kayo?"

It was the first and the last time he spoke in their presence. The man was quick to slip the gag on the prisoner. Instinctively, Scott resister for a moment. It was something of a natural reaction if something was shoved into your mouth to resist and try to remove the foreign object. After a couple of seconds, he was able to dominate it and force himself to remain calm. The GDF officer, no doubt the highest ranking currently here, nodded gratefully. He was aware that the prisoner was trying his best to make their lives easier for there. There was no resentfulness or hatred behind the blue eyes, only exhaustion and acceptance.

The back doors to the transport were opened. With his hands bound, they took the precaution of guiding him into the van least he slip and potentially crack his skull on the concrete floor. An unnecessary precaution, the man got in with no trouble. They sat him down, securing his hands so that he most definitely couldn't potentially escape. The back of the vehicle was rather small. There was enough room for two people, maybe three at a push but no more than that. His eyes trailed over the vehicle absently, not looking for anything particular and barely registering much about it. The officer hopped down, turning to look over his shoulder before speaking softly:

"She's fine. You'll see her in a few minutes."

The words brought some comfort to the man, even as the doors were shut and he found himself trapped. It wasn't dark. There was a light which allowed him to see quite carefully. For a moment, he shifted his hands, curious to see just how much free-movement he had been allowed. Despite his compliance, they had stayed true to GDF protocol it would seem and had given him the minimum amount to ensure that he was comfortable. He let out a sigh, resting his head against the cool metal that made up one side of the van. Closing his eyes, he became aware of just how tired he was but still sensed that sleep would not come to him. How could it at at time like this?

He felt weak. The sensation had started some time yesterday and become progressively worse. Initially, he had wondered if they might have been drugging him to ensure that he remained docile and compliant. It had taken the pilot of Thunderbird 1 a moment to realize that fear was the cause. Even right now, he could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he was plagued by a lingering sick feeling he couldn't quite shake off. It was different to a rescue. There, he was sometimes scared. He challenged anyone not to be. There was the adrenaline pumping through his system, bringing with it a thrill and a drive to continue. That was absent right now. All he felt was an imminent sense of inescapable doom. It took all of his self control not to start shaking or to otherwise show too many signs of the panic which had an increasingly powerful hold over him. It was as if every fibre of his body was screaming at him, letting him know that he was in trouble and needed to do something about it.

Do what? He had realized from the moment that he had blocked the door in that grotty hotel room that the situation was hopeless. He wished that it had only been for him…

Scott tried to picture his family's faces. They would be frantic if they knew. He wondered just how hushed up their capture had been. If Casey was daring enough to try and hold things back from the Mechanic, she might have tried to keep the whole thing quiet. On the other hand, they had quite clearly had a break-in of some kind – the GDF had been rather reluctant to share any details with him – if it was indeed some of their friends and/or family, then the chances of them not being aware that he and Kayo were here were sadly few and far between.

Kayo… Where was she? He'd held onto the hope that they might be able to share a cell block. He wasn't naïve enough to think they would actually put them in a cell together. Still, he would have liked to be able to see her if nothing else. Just to know that she was alright. To give her the occasional smile and try and pretend that everything was alright and that they were going to be alright. Just to talk, say that they had given it their all. To smile and give each other a metaphorical pat on the back. Instead, he had found himself condemned to loneliness with only a brief visit from Colonel Casey for familiarity. Even she had offered precious little comfort. There was no doubt in his mind that she didn't want to do this. It was plain to see behind her eyes that every second was her own personal brand of torture. Maybe that was why he hadn't had her replaced. That and he probably recognised that she was good at her job and therefore irreplaceable.

The doors opened and Kayo stepped in. Her eyes widened considerably as they fell upon him. She looked tired. For a moment, all the young woman could do was gawk. Behind her, the GDF pushed her slightly, encouraging her to get in. Much like him, she seemed to have decided that it was pointless at this stage to resist, allowing herself to be sat down in front of him and chained so that she couldn't possibly escape. Her gaze remained focused solely on him however ignoring the soldiers. Even as the doors shut, locking them inside, she barely blinked. He found himself compelled to stare back longingly.

What he wouldn't give to be able to wrap his arms around her and feel her warmth against him. For he felt cold all of a sudden. He couldn't though. Their restraints wouldn't allow it. A blue gag prevented her from speaking just as his own did. Condemned to stay in silence, he wondered how he could possibly convey just how sorry he was that this had happened. Obviously, he had never intended for any of this to happen. It all seemed to have snowballed so quickly. Sometimes, he still found himself wondering just how they had gotten here. Right now though, it didn't feel all that important. Looking into his friend's eyes, he found himself feeling a bitter regret. Kayo would have probably told him to get a hold of himself had she known what he was thinking and been free to speak but he couldn't help but feel as if he had let her down.

The van started up. He felt the engine begin to rumble and became vaguely aware that they were moving but asides bracing himself didn't react. He kept his eyes focused solely on the young woman. Slowly, she leaned forwards. Lowering her head, she stayed like that for a moment. Puzzled, it took him a second to grasp what she was doing. He imitated her gesture, straining himself as he did so. It was worth it however as he managed to rest the top of his head against hers. It wasn't much but it was at least it was some contact and from that could come some comfort. It was a shared pain, a common fear, all that they could afford right now.

He couldn't have said how long they stayed like that but they only pulled apart when they reached their destination. The van came to a steady halt. The first of the journey. No doubt Colonel Casey had taken the time to ensure that the roads were cleared. She would know that even a simple stop could allow others precious time to break into the van and spring the prisoners. She had a lot more than just their lives weighing on her shoulders at the moment and Scott dreaded to think what would happen to her and potentially some of her underlings if the Mechanic suspected that they might be aiding International Rescue, even if that meant not giving the job 100%. He would be watching her, ready to act at the slightest sign of betrayal.

Outside he could hear voices. They were distant but it sounded like there were a lot of people out there and a fair bit of commotion to boot. He cast Kayo an uncertain glance. The young woman had her head turned towards the door, listening carefully. There was the sound of some clattering and suddenly the doors were open.

Blinded momentarily by the light, it took his eyes a few seconds before they could adjust once more. As soon as they were, he found himself facing Colonel Casey. She stepped aside, allowing two of her men in to lead them out of the truck.

"Look smart."

The words made little sense to him until he caught sight of the crowd gathered a few yards away. Initially, he thought that they might have been members of the GDF. It was only after a few seconds that he caught sight of the civilian clothes and more importantly the cameras. The press… What were they doing here? Usually, with matters as delicate as this one, they would have wanted to keep all civilians at arms reach. They should have been kept out of wherever this was. Right now however, they were out in force. Surely Casey hadn't requested their presence. Casey might not have, he realized, but maybe the Mechanic. He understood what the commander meant. They needed to keep themselves together. The fact was that his family would likely be watching meant that they had to stay strong. Panicking would only make matters worse.

He took a deep breath before allowing himself to be lead on. Slightly behind him, Kayo did the same, not protesting in the slightest as they were guided past the crowd.

The gags suddenly made some sort of sense. It hadn't been them talking to one another which had worried the Mechanic but rather them potentially signalling the others through the cameras. He forced himself to look ahead and not to focus on any of the lenses. He often found that his eyes betrayed his emotions. Even through a camera, he felt that it would be a little bit too much like looking one of his brothers' in their eyes for his liking. He didn't trust himself to be able to hold it together. Up ahead there was some kind of craft. He frowned slightly upon noticing it. It didn't belong to to the GDF, that was for sure. Yet that was where they were heading. Obviously, he couldn't ask and he tried to keep his uncertainties to himself as he made his way along.

They boarded the craft a moment later. There were seven of them. Kayo, himself, four GDF soldiers and the colonel. They sat in the back of what felt like something of a crate. The doors seemed to close by themselves, sealing them off from the world outside. There wasn't much light inside, just enough for them to still be able to see. If they had tried reading however no doubt they would have ended up straining their eyes. A few seconds after getting in and sitting down, Scott recognised the sensation of them flying:

"The Mechanic is remote flying this craft to his base." Casey spoke without being invited to, debriefing them about the situation. "We'll drop you off there."

That was it. No further explanations were given. Scott closed his eyes, blocking himself off from the world around him and desperately trying to ignore what was going on right now. He wanted to be back home with his brothers on the island. He wanted to be safe and more importantly safe with them. Without his family, he was nothing. He cast Kayo a brief glance. She was keeping her composure majestically. Proud, if she was feeling the same way as he was, she was a master at concealing it. He longed to be able to reach out and take her hand, anything to provide some comfort and hopefully receive some in turn. Instead, they were forced to stay apart. The GDF soldiers were markedly quiet as they sat there. Casey's gaze remained focused on the floor a few few away from where she was sitting.

The atmosphere was truly terrible. Granted, he had hardly been expecting a party but there was no mistaking the sense of foreboding gloom which hung over them.

They landed sometime later, the gentle hum of the engines suddenly stopping being the only clue that they had arrived. The GDF soldiers exchanged uncertain looks, silently preparing themselves for whatever was to come. Scott tried to summon what remained of his courage which felt as if it was deserting him alarmingly quickly as he got to his feet, encouraged to stand by the men to either of his sides. The doors were opening. He tried to brace himself for whatever or whoever might be waiting for him on the other side, aware that it could very easily be a noose.

Then, in a flash, he found himself facing a figure who turned his stomach. It was strange but as he looked into the eyes of the Mechanic, he didn't know what to feel. He wanted to be angry, to loathe him with every fibre of his body. That was all. He wanted to be able to spit in the man's eye. Show no fear and tell him that his family were going to rescue them and he'd soon be behind bars. Instead, he said nothing. Like a rabbit staring into the eyes of a fox coming down upon him, he shied away from the challenge. He felt acutely aware all of a sudden that his hands were bound and that they were both trapped. There was no mercy to be found behind their foe's gaze. He had nothing but contempt for them. They were ants to him, ready to be squished. Heck, right now, their lives meant about as much as an insect's.

The man didn't move, eyeing them up for a moment before abruptly turning his back. His action seemed to surprise the GDF who exchanged uncertain glances.

"This way!"

The man didn't even wait to see if they were following before beginning to lead them away. They followed uncertainly. Scott forced himself to fight his own fear and to try and take in as much as he possibly could. It could prove to be vitally important if they managed to escape later on or even to simply give themselves a clue as to just where they were. He quickly dismissed the latter notion. There were no windows or maps visible to tell him that this was anything other than a bunker like structure and there were plenty of those in the word. Still, if they managed to run, he might be able to remember where they had come. That was if they weren't being lead to a quiet courtyard to be shot…

They walked along for about five minutes. Kayo was in front of him. Two guards kept a firm grip on her, although she seemed to be comparatively docile. He guessed by the extreme caution they had adopted that she had been causing a fair amount of trouble. Hardly surprising. By compassion, the two soldiers in charge of looking after him seemed to be more relaxed. At the rear, the commander followed diligently. He allowed himself to be lead along, not seeing any real alternative. They were outnumbered. Even if Colonel Casey and her men abruptly changed sides, it was a fair bet that the Mechanic still had some tricks up his sleeve. He wouldn't be walking in front as confidently as he was if he didn't. No words were exchanged. There were none to be spoken. This was simply a case of silently following orders. They could have been commanded to walk over a cliff and wouldn't likely have done so. The consequences of refusing were potentially too great to even consider.

They stopped suddenly. Their guide seemed to have frozen solid, as if he was rooted to the spot. Still, none of them dared to move. Tentatively, Scott gave the Colonel an uncertain and very brief glance, she looked to be about as confused as they all were. It was a sense of complete and utter powerlessness to be bound to the will of the madman. They couldn't do so much as question him. To the right, a series of heavy duty metal doors drew the pilot of Thunderbird 1's attention. They seemed to be relatively close together allowing him to imagine that they were something like cupboards, at any rate he doubted they were very large inside. Cells perhaps? Could this be where they were about to be locked up and forgotten about?

He didn't have enough time to ponder the matter any further as the Mechanic spoke, his voice low, a frustrated grumble more than anything else:

"Did you really think that I wouldn't detect your homing beacon? Consider it deactivated."

The man spun around suddenly, turning on his heels to face them. No, not them. Scott found himself spared the man's anger. Instead, it was turned against Kayo. From his position, he had trouble making out her face. Just where she could have gotten a homing beacon from was beyond him. One thing for sure was that it had landed her in some seriously hot water. She didn't appear to back down, not even as the man came closer. The colonel drew closer but still maintained a respectful distance. He turned to her, silently begging her to intervene. Still, she remained standing with a cold detachment. Did their lives really mean so little to her now? His friend still appeared to be relatively relaxed, as if she hadn't quite realized how serious the situation was.

He should have realized that it was all a façade.

For all of his looking – and he hadn't taken her eyes off of her – he wasn't too sure how she did it. For a woman of her size, Kayo was monstrously strong. She didn't necessarily look it but her intense training meant that not even Virgil could really stand up to her in a fight. What chance did two GDF soldiers have? Even with their guards up, she managed to knock them to one side. Shaking them off of her. She could have done it earlier no doubt but something had caused her to hold back, to wait for this one specific moment. It took Scott and everyone else in the corridor a second too long to figure out just what she was planning.

Whatever had driven the Mechanic to come as close as he had to the young woman, it was a mistake on his part. Perhaps he assumed that the chains would be enough to keep her in check. A serious miscalculation. The distance between them was such that the head of security managed to jump up, kicking out in front of her. Her feet made contact with their foe's groin. He let out a loud and somewhat higher than they had heard before from him complaint. Staggering backwards, he desperately tried to put some distance between the two of them before going down on one knee and hissing in pain. Kayo herself, trapped by the chains keeping her feet together was unable to maintain her balance and crashed roughly onto the concrete ground.

There was a strange period of stunned silence. Somehow, none of the spectators could quite believe what they had just witnessed. Scott himself was struggling to believe what he had just seen. Kayo would never fail to astonish him. It wasn't just the bravado of the sudden attack which took them back however. A quick glance to Case allowed the eldest brother to realize that in those few seconds, they were both thinking roughly the same thing. Their enemy was currently in a considerable amount of pain, almost crippled, vulnerable. Hesitation marked the woman's features and for a split second, he believed that she might be about to act, to come to their aid and to help put an end to all of this once and for all. The command was on the tip of her tongue. One word and she and her men would descend upon him.

Then the Mechanic looked up and Scott realized they had no chance.

Rage marked his face as he got to his feet. The GDF soldiers were quick to scramble over the Kayo, the young woman herself was struggling to pick herself up due to the handcuffs and other restraints. She managed to roll her self onto her knees and likely would have stood of her own accord were it not for the soldiers who promptly dragged her back up. The young woman protested briefly, attempting to shrug them off to no avail. She had managed to catch them off-guard once, it wouldn't happen a second time. Rubbing her cheek against her shoulder, the young woman managed to get her gag out of her mouth. She shot the Mechanic a cold glare but otherwise stopped her struggling.

The man came over to her once more. His feet thumped loudly on the floor. Presumably, he was a little more cautious around her this time. Underestimating Kayo was a mistake which people only ever tended to make once. It could however be a very painful once. His calm and cold composure which he usually maintained was gone. He now looked like a very angry man who had just been kicked hard in the privates. There was no mistaking the rage behind his eyes. With fists clenched, he stopped less than a foot in front of her. His imposing figure cast a daunting shadow over the young woman, still restrained by the men and women on either side of her. Tanusha didn't back down however. With teeth gritted and a look that could kill, she met his gaze full on. If she was afraid, she wasn't showing it.

He seemed to contemplate her for a moment. Testing her courage and daring her to back down. She met his anger with her own.

"I suppose you think that you just made some kind of point." The man's voice was eerily calm and level given the rage which still lay behind his eyes.

"I'm just surprised there was anything there to kick."

Curiously, the remark earned an amused grunt. The anger dissipated from behind the man's eyes, replacing instead with the cool control that they were somewhat more accustomed to. They'd only ever talked a few times and it had never been a chat. Every time that Scott had found himself faced with the Mechanic however, he had felt as if he was two steps behind the man. In many ways, he found him to be more intimidating than the Hood. Although granted that opinion was likely influenced by the hell he had put them through these past few days. He was frightened as he stood there, not for himself so much as for his friend. She was in trouble. No doubt she would realize that much. She'd known it from the moment that he'd become aware that she had a homing beacon on her.

If this was it however, Kayo seemed to be determined to go down with her head held high. She wasn't backing down, ensuring that she maintained eye contact at all times with her foe. The young woman was trying her best to demonstrate her anger and disdain. He contemplated her for a moment before turning away slightly as if he was about to walk away and leave.

A flurry of movement drew his attention. He dealt a solid punch to Kayo's stomach. The young woman gasped in pain as her legs buckled underneath her. For a moment, the GDF officers attempted to hold her up but apparently thought better of it, allowing her to fall to the ground. She lay there, motionless. Her face was screwed up as she tried her best to fight the urge to scream or protest more vocally. Instead, she just lay there unable to do so much as even breathe. Instantly, Scott stepped forwards. He forgot about the handcuffs and gag in his mouth which muffled his cry as he saw Tanusha being struck. Like a red rag to a bull, all that seemed to matter was that his friend had just been hurt and now someone had to pay for it. A strong hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him back.

"You can't help her."

The Colonel's whisper was just loud enough for him to hear. He knew that she was right. Still, he wanted to try, to prove to the Mechanic that he still had the will to fight. Anything to try and defend Kayo. His action hadn't gone unnoticed by their foe, the man's dark eyes met his for a moment. There was no regret behind them. He didn't care about the pain that he had inflicted. It served his purpose. A quick and brutal act of revenge.

By his feet, Kayo gasped taking a much needed breath of air. It must have brought with it some pain as she coughed a few times, spluttering as she struggled to recover from the blow. It must have been quite the punch to leave her on the ground like that. He could only watch helpless as she began to curl up into a ball, clutching at her stomach in an attempt to alleviate at least some of her suffering. The Mechanic let out an exasperated sigh. He keyed a couple of things into his wrist computer causing one of the heavy iron doors to open. Sure enough, inside, there was a small box-like room. A cell, for lack of a better word.

Their enemy grabbed a mixture of the back of her collar and a handful of hair of the young woman and dragged her along towards the open door. His victim protested, struggling instinctively in an attempt to pry away his iron grip. Scott wanted to look away. Every fibre of his body seemed to be commanding him to avert his gaze. His godmother's words came back to him. There was nothing that he could do. Still, he forced himself to watch, if only to remind himself in the future - if a time came when he was in a position to get revenge – just what he had done and why he needed to be punished. Inside the cell, the Mechanic hauled Kayo to her knees dealing one last kick to her back which sent her into the darkness before retreating out himself.

Scott only turned away once the door was shut. The Mechanic stared at him before opening the next door. The pilot of Thunderbird 1's eyes rested inside of the cell which would likely be his until their enemy decided what he was going to do with them. One of the GDF soldiers hesitated before reluctantly pushing him along, encouraging him to enter the small space. The eldest brother obliged. There really was no point in fighting now. He lowered his head, trying to block out the pained look on his friend's face as she had lay on the ground which haunted him.

"You can undo the cuffs and take out the gag."

The officer complied with the Mechanic's orders. Apparently, he wasn't as much of a threat as Kayo. No sooner was he free than the GDF solider left his cell and he found himself locked inside.

There wasn't much to take in. It was a simple room. Devoid of any decoration with a concrete floor and iron walls. A single lightbulb allowed him to see. Only the door was markedly different. In retrospect, the cells they had been treated to back at the GDF base were positively luxurious. A blanket, was all he would have both sleep on and keep himself warm. Then again, he doubted that their captor had troubled himself too much with their comfort. This wasn't going to be a long stay. That much was painfully clear. There was a small camera that he noticed. No doubt to keep an eye on them least they try something. Although just what he could do in here, he didn't know. Even the air vents were too small to possibly envisage climbing through.

A thought occurred to him. He was right next door to Kayo's cell. Cautiously, he approached the wall separating them and placed his ear to it. Nothing. Then again, his friend could easily still be lying on the floor trying to recuperate. With the palm of his fist, he slapped against it once, hard. Hoping that somehow, she might be able to hear the vibrations and respond. Seconds trickled by. He tried again. Still nothing.

"Kayo!"

His call was a desperate one. The Mechanic wouldn't have placed them so close together if there was even the remotest chance of them being able to communicate. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fall down, slouching against the wall as he rested his head against it. He tried to imagine his friend, just on the other side. Desperately, he tried to remember what it had felt like to share a bed. Her warmth against his and her gentle teasing, perhaps even flirting as they had lay there. It all seemed to painfully far away now…

"I'm sorry..."

It was a silent apology. One lost to the unforgiving seclusion of his cell.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Author's note: Ha! Sneek attack, I got this one up in less than a week. Thanks again for the reviews._**

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Campfires were usually a special occasion. As children, their father would take them out, often with their mother into the wilds or at least that's what they'd said. In practice, Gran Roca Ranch was probably less than a hundred yards away. Still, when they were young, it had felt well and truly like the wilds of the desert itself. They would sit out there together, close and warmed by the fire and tell stories. Dad would tell ones of his numerous adventures, mom scary ones and grandma and grandpa a bit of both when they came out. When the fire died down to its embers, they would lie there looking up at the stars, wondering if one day they would get to go out there. Usually, half-asleep, they'd finally stumble back to their ranch and tumble into their respective beds from which they wouldn't emerge until mid-morning. Sometimes however, if things were just right. They would lie out there and fall asleep.

The tradition had been continued back on the island. Some quieter nights - not that they were treated to many - when everyone still had a bit of energy left, they would get together, gather some wood and a couple of pans and prepare their food down on the beach. It was a relaxing spot, free from the concerns which even in the house sometimes continued to linger on their minds. It was hard to forget that you were International Rescue. Still, they would make the effort. Things just seemed so much calmer down by the ocean. They could almost pretend to live normal lives. As they toasted marshmallows and chattered, reminisced and told stories about before… Some nights, it almost felt like their parents were still there with them.

The magic was gone now.

They were still by the sea and a fire was indeed lit but any notion that this was a fun and charming evening had been dispelled some time ago. No words were exchanged as they prepared the meal. If hunger had been a notion a couple of hours ago, the entire group had abruptly lost their appetites. The only reason that they were bothering to cook at all was due to some vague notion that they had to eat if they wanted to keep their strength up. That and it gave them something to distract themselves with, preventing them from dwelling on what they had seen as much as they might otherwise have done. Sadly, it wasn't quite enough.

There was no forgetting the images that they had born witness to. The entire world had been able to watch as Scott Tracy and Tanusha Kyrano were lead along bound and gagged to be handed over to the Mechanic. There could be no doubting that he had intended to let them know that he had two of their own. That much had been strikingly obvious. If he had desired secrecy, he could easily have obtained it. "Psychological warfare" Parker had dubbed it and none of them had been able to contradict the statement. Their enemy was playing with them, no doubt trying to provoke them into doing something rash and stupid. Ironically, that was the sort of action that his prisoners were a little more prone to than the rest of their family. Despite that, the pain and the rage had worked their magic and it had taken Grandma's level head, Penny's logic and some firm arguments from both Kyranos that had stopped a rapid launch of Thunderbird 2.

Instead, they sat round the fire. They had barely exchanged a word since agreeing not to go on a foolhardy and unprepared rescue mission. There was another problem of course. They still hadn't the foggiest idea of just where their enemy was hiding. John and EOS had checked, not even the GDF knew. The prisoners and their escorts had gotten into an unmanned and remote controlled craft which had flown them to their destination, leaving little to no evidence of where it had been. Even those who had accompanied the captured members of International Rescue found themselves unable to even remotely guess where they might have been. In short, it was a dead end. They had been forced to fall back upon their initial plan.

That's what Brains was doing. Working tirelessly on his algorithm. He hadn't even contemplated resting since starting up some time ago. Unfortunately, it left the rest of them with precious little other than waiting to do. That task, although simple proved to be difficult to tolerate given what was going on. Thunderbird 5 and its occupants were still present but provided nothing more than a transparent blue ghost-like presence. Even high above Earth's atmosphere, they were pray to the same restrictions and problems as their brothers on the ground.

That left them sitting round the campfire. They had given their guests some blankets. True, it wasn't particularly cold out but the shock could make even the warmest of nights seem a little chilly. If nothing else, it provided something of a comfort. Kyrano had barely spoken since they had picked him up. There was a listlessness there which nobody knew how to address. What could you say to a man who had been forced to abandon his daughter, knowing full-well what it might mean? Lady Penelope had informed them about everything that had happened. The thrill of seeing both her and Parker again had promptly vanished when the family had learned of their brother and friend's fate.

Gordon's brown eyes fell upon the figure of the outcast amongst their group. The man had wisely chosen to isolate himself, sitting somewhat further back from the rest of them. Revulsion formed in the pit of his stomach if his attention rested upon the man for too long. He was sensible enough to realize that currently, they were all in the same boat. That didn't mean he had to like it however nor was he about to forget the crimes committed against his family. A cold glare was all that the man received on the rare occasions he chose to take any interest in what the rest of them were doing. It wasn't a pleasant situation. None of them pretended that it was. Even Virgil, sitting there staring at the flickering flames seemed incapable of speech.

They all knew what needed to be asked. There was only one man here who knew the Mechanic. He wasn't speaking because he hadn't been asked. Whilst they might be able to expect some cooperation, the man certainly wasn't about to start sharing information without being prompted to do so that he didn't deem essential for them to know. As such, it was Grandma, taking a sip of some rather strong coffee who finally spoke:

"What's the Mechanic's plan?"

"Right now. To eliminate all of those standing in his way." Yellow eyes flickered round to look at them. "That means your family and me, probably your friend colonel Casey too once he's done with her. After that, I'm afraid I don't know."

The elderly woman nodded slowly, accepting the statement without argument. That much was painfully obvious. Eradicate, if not all of his enemies, then at least those capable of fighting back. With International Rescue gone, there would be few crafts capable of challenging his own. The Hood would also pose a threat, the villain was unlikely to care about project Sentinel blowing up a city and was unlikely to accept a world under the ownership of anyone other than himself. That and there seemed to be a fair bit of bad blood between the two of them if what Scott had told them about the two's battle inside the dam was true. Now the tables had turned completely, their old enemy was with them not because he found their company enjoyable but because it was the only place he was still safe and they were the only ones who stood a chance against the Mechanic.

Alan shifted uneasily on board of Thunderbird 5, drawing John's attention. He was acutely aware that his youngest brother was distressed. They all were. This was something they had never faced before. It wasn't an eventuality their father had ever prepared them for. How could he? He had warned them all that it was dangerous but now they found themselves faced with the very real prospect of having lost two of their own:

"So you mean Scott and Kayo are..." The words snagged in the back of the youngest brother's throat, he found himself unable to continue.

Ridley gently placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the youngest brother somewhat. It was a gesture that John felt he should have done. Unfortunately, he found himself rooted to the spot (metaphorically at least, it was hard to be rooted to anything in space). He could only stare at the faces of the holograms of his family and long for an answer of some kind. As strange as it was, it felt that anything would do. The uncertainty caused his stomach to turn. It was true terror which gripped him in those few moments. Scott had always been there for them, literally always. In many ways, he had been more present than even their father. Kayo too, she was the one who was supposed to protect them. They couldn't be gone… They simply couldn't.

The Hood shook his head slowly. For a terrible moment, John thought that it might actually be a confirmation that there was no point in holding out too much hope. The man explained himself the briefest of moments later but it had still been enough to allow some terrible images to be conjured up in the remaining brothers' minds:

"The Mechanic is nothing but a practical man." The Hood shook his head dismissively. "He lacks finesse and vision. If he wanted your brother and my niece dead he would have had the GDF kill them as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He won't risk anything grandiose or get caught up in petty revenge. Too much room for mistakes. If they're still alive then he'll want them for something."

"What?" John wasn't too sure if Alan's question was due to innocence or simply trying to fool himself a little longer.

"Information, probably concerning our location. Then he'll kill them."

It came as little surprise to any of them. Naturally, they had imagined that he was unlikely to simply want them locked up. Prisoners were a hassle that he could likely do without. Asides the risk that they might escape, he would have to feed them and give them water if he wanted them to survive. Both were tasks that the GDF would be able to fulfil adequately. If he wanted them, it was because he felt that there was something which only he could get from them. There were only a handful of things that could be worth the risk of not killing both of them outright. That sort of information was the kind that they were realistically never going to give away willingly. Knowing that, it was a fair bet that the Mechanic would have ways of convincing them to do otherwise.

There was an unpleasant silence where they shared those thoughts. It was impossible not to imagine nightmare situations the likes of which they had witnessed only in films. Torture. That was what it would take to get either of them to even cooperate in the least. It was something best not thought about given that both of them were likely in their foe's hands by now. It was the second eldest of the brothers who cleared his throat, speaking for all of them in an attempt to give them some more courage.

"They won't talk." Virgil's statement left little room for debate.

"Won't they? You boys are naïve. Just ask your friend colonel Casey how long it takes for them to get someone to crack and the Mechanic won't have half of their qualms." He allowed his words to hang there for a moment, to sink in with all of their sinister meaning. "Your brother likely won't last three days. Kayo maybe a little longer..."

Nobody dared speak. Probably because they knew that he was right. As courageous as both of them were, there was only so much which either of them would be likely to be able to endure. Their family allowed themselves the luxury of imagining that it was more than the average human being. It was still something which they would much rather not picture their loved ones going through. The lingering and painful silence made it all to clear that they were all trying to block out similar images from their minds. Virgil found himself cursing under his breath that he hadn't persevered and gone after them. With Thunderbird 5, they might have been able to track the craft that the two of them were travelling on and rescued them. The logical part of his brain told him that the Mechanic was no fool and would have thought of that. Still, the doubt still lingered. He tried to tell himself that there was nothing he could have done.

Both were strong. Both were brave. Neither would talk, at least for a while.

The Hood seemed to be the only one who could keep on talking. Initially, Virgil much like Gordon had assumed that he didn't care about his niece. Upon further study however, the second eldest brother wasn't quite so convinced any more. There were circles under the man's eyes which spoke of him not having slept much these past few days. Additionally, he was quiet. Although he didn't know Kyrano's brother all that well (something he was grateful for), he had imagined that the man would likely be rubbing it in a great deal more than he was. Instead, he was remaining rather quiet about the whole thing. Looking down at his hands, Thunderbird 2's pilot eventually mumbled:

"That gives us two countdowns: one until they break and he kills them. Another until he finds us."

The lack of an answer only seemed to confirm his statement. He let out a heavy sigh. Time wasn't something they had on their side. They needed to move as quickly as possible. If only to spare Scott and Kayo some torment. Somewhere in the back of their minds was the knowledge that even right now, as they were speaking, there was a chance that their brother and sister in all but blood were being put through hell in an attempt to get them to talk. Focusing on it would be pointless, they couldn't do anything about it. Instead, they should have been concentrating on finding a way to save the others. They needed some manner of a plan to do that.

One of the main issues they had right now was not knowing where the Mechanic had taken their loved ones. Brains was working on that. They couldn't do much until he had finished. It would be difficult to formulate a plan not knowing where they were heading, what the terrain was like or even what they could expect. The only things they were sure that they were almost certain to encounter was trouble and a fight. Without GDF backup or their head of security, they would have to rely on a mix between Lady Penelope, Parker, Kyrano and even reluctantly the Hood. International Rescue was hardly a combat outfit after all. The mere thought was somewhat dizzying.

"Does the Mechanic have any exploitable weaknesses?" Penny's question was a welcome one allowing them to concentrate on anything.

"He's still mortal if that's what you mean." The Hood rubbed his forehead. "The problem is he's clever. Taking him out might not be as easy as you think."

That much was true. They didn't have the best track record against the Mechanic. He had crippled their craft on more than one occasion. Even when they succeeded in the rescues, there was rarely a feeling of victory when they made it back to the island. In many ways, he actually felt more dangerous than the Hood. The latter was evidently cautious around his ally turned enemy. If he didn't view the man as a threat then he wouldn't be here with them. That in its own way was rather terrifying. They were forced to think back on the few small victories they had achieved.

"We can cut him off from his machines..."

John's statement was based largely off of the events that had taken place with the Earthbreaker. They would have to rely on EOS to try and override his systems. The little AI certainly packed a fair punch as they had discovered to their cost. If they were careful, they might be able to cut him off from the mechs which obeyed his every command. In order to do so however they would have to be able to access the mainframe which would naturally require them to get close to him and his base. They were still stuck until Brains was able to preform some of his magic and do whatever he was planning to do with Kayo's data to allow them to locate their foe.

"I sh-should be able to triangulate his position in a few hours." Brains didn't even look up from his work as he spoke. "We have to be caref-ful… We don't want him tracing it back to us."

"In that case… You boys should probably get some sleep."

Their grandmother's suggestion was met with looks of astonishment. They struggled to process just what she was saying. It wasn't that they weren't tired. They were exhausted. Physically as well as emotionally. These days were taking their toll on them like no others had done before. The absence of two of their own only made it more painful. Despite that however, the notion that they could ever possibly find sleep here seemed abhorrent to the brothers. They couldn't rest until their family was safe. They should have been spending every waking moment preparing for the rescue, making plans, trying to think of every possible scenario to ensure that they were ready to face their enemy. It went without saying that they couldn't do any of that whilst they were asleep.

"But grandma!" Gordon was the first to protest, almost jumping to his feet in outrage.

"No buts!" The elderly woman spoke calmly but firmly. "You boys will need to be on top of your game if you're going to go up against the Mechanic. You can't do that if you're falling asleep. There's nothing we can do until Brains locates them. So you might as well make the most of the situation to rest a little."

There was a firmness behind the woman's eyes which left little room for arguing. The Tracy siblings exchanged glances. In their heart of hearts, they all knew that she was right. They wouldn't be a match for the Mechanic if they were exhausted. He was a fearsome enough foe to fight when they were at their full strength. Right now, not only were they minus the safety of the island but also missing Thunderbirds 1 and Shadow and more importantly their pilots. Kayo would have been almost essential for a mission like this. Her loss was a double nightmare in that respect. Grandma was right, they would need to be on top form. They wouldn't be capable of that if they were running on fumes. In many ways they already were.

Reluctantly, the boys one by one left. They said very little. Even Virgil, usually docile only muttered an unenthusiastic "good night". Their grandmother smiled softly, wishing each of them sweet dreams no matter how much they might resent it. She still had a fair amount of power over the boys. The elderly woman remained sitting outside. Ideally, Penny and Parker should have tried to get some shut eye but given that they had been amongst the last to see Kayo, she decided against labouring the point. With the brothers safely out of earshot, there were some matters which could be talked about without potentially causing tempers to flare and the brothers to become desperate. They needed to try and keep a level-head. No doubt their enemy was counting on them getting emotional and charging in. She looked up at the sky for a moment, wondering what the boy's mother and grandfather would have said if they had been able to see them now… Hopefully, they were still up there, watching over them.

"Aiman…" The woman's eyes fell upon the man who had been silent pretty much since arriving. "Do you need anything?"

"My daughter..." The man's voice was almost broken it was so quiet. "I need my daughter to be safe."

The elderly woman said nothing but nodded slowly. She could relate somewhat to the man's pain. After all, she knew what it was like to lose a son. That caused her to avoid labouring the point any further. A brief glance in Parker and Lady Penelope's direction confirmed her guess: things were indeed dire. It was hard not to slip into despair as they sat there under the moon and stars, not knowing just what the rest of their family was going through or even if they would see them again. She allowed her attention to drift back over to Brains, the young man was continuing to work tirelessly. It was on him that they now placed all of their hope. Letting out a sigh, she found herself closing her eyes and longing for sleep. She forced herself to stay awake however aware that the night had only just begun. Her grandsons could sleep. She couldn't afford the luxury.

Quite some time ago now, she had accepted the rather difficult task of Tracy family matriarch. If ever there had been a need for her to play that role it was now. Looking up at her moon, a strange but small smile appeared on her face:

"You two stay strong… We're coming to get you."

Would her words reach them? She didn't know but she dared to hope that somehow it might. They would need courage. They all did right now.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews._**

 ** _/_**

Thunderbird 5 was quiet. Ridley O'Bannon had been up here before when International Rescue was still operational. There were no calls coming in. Who would call them in the current situation? They couldn't help even if they had. Calling out would have been a waste of breath. Still, the silence unsettled her. She could see on the projection of the globe that it was very clear that there were still emergencies that needed tending to. The rest of the world authorities were struggling to deal with them but they didn't have the Thunderbirds. The Tracy family wasn't the only one suffering because of this. Just why the Mechanic perceived them as such a threat was beyond her. Well, not entirely. The problem was that John and his brothers and semi-adopted sister had a bad habit of meddling. Their previous run ins with the criminal and the Hood had proved that much. She was willing to bet that under other circumstances he would have ignored them. After all, he wasn't going after the world's police or fire departments. It was their efficiency and craft which was making them targets right now. As well as perhaps the will to serve out some bitter revenge for all of the times that they had gotten in his way.

Letting out a sigh, Ridley turned away from the screens still picking up broadcasts and frequencies from Earth despite the increased distance. None of it was of any use to them. For that, she knew they would have to wait for Brains. The genius who had helped develop all of this stuff wouldn't, couldn't, let them down. Not right now when so much was riding on him. John was one of the few who could keep up with what the scientist was trying to achieve. It had been made very apparent that all they could do right now was wait. That was maddening. Even for the middle brother, usually level-headed and calm, the notion of sitting around patiently was an almost unbearable one.

She knew full well that he wouldn't be sleeping.

The young woman had watched the colour drain from the brothers' faces as they had seen Scott and Kayo being lead along. She didn't know the two of them very well. Being an astronaut herself, she was far better acquainted with the Space Monitor and he hadn't been overly keen to talk about their relationship with his family. It was amusing, she thought, he was like a teen trying to hide his first girlfriend from his parents for fear of being teased about it. Whatever the case, as far as the eldest of the brothers and the head of security were concerned, she could only really base what she knew about them from John's stories. Still, she could imagine that losing an older brother would be a severe blow emotionally and from a morale point of view. Resent it though they might, he was something of a leader to them as far as Ridley could tell. Tanusha Kyrano, from the few times she'd heard Alan talking about her, had been described as being near impossible to beat. The idea that both of them could have been taken by their foe invited a mixture of doubt and panic into their hearts.

Movement drew the woman's attention as she noticed a lens coming towards her. EOS. No doubt the AI had completed the rounds she had assigned herself the duty of carrying out, somewhere between a diligent helper and frightened child. She was intent on ensuring that everyone was okay. Asking them repetitively if they needed anything or if she could be of assistance. It would seem that inactivity didn't suit her either.

The AI was a comfort, in an odd way. Whilst EOS wasn't human by any stretch of the imagination. She was close enough to one to be possible to relate to. Although she might be made out of circuits and sparks, there was no denying that there was more than just ones and zeroes to the artificial intelligence. She didn't quite know how it was possible – as far as she could tell, John was comparatively mystified by the whole thing himself – but there was no denying that she felt and experienced life much like a human being did. That made her presence a very much welcome one as far as Ridley was concerned. She enjoyed John's company, more than that. Alan was also in his own, somewhat less mature than his older sibling (which was to be expected), a blast to have around. Right now however… Well they weren't themselves. Having someone on the space station who also had a little more distance from the situation was a welcome break.

The EOS stopped a little short, looking at her through her camera for a few moments. Ridley waited patiently for whatever she had to say knowing that it would come.

"John isn't well..." The AI's voice was uncharacteristically slow and quiet. "I couldn't get him to touch his bagel, not even one with cottage cheese."

"Not even a cottage cheese bagel, eh?" She spoke softly looking towards the door. "And Alan?"

"Asleep."

The woman pondered the situation for a moment. She was impressed by the youngest's resilience. Although they had met before and she had been able to witness him in action, she had still imagined that Alan Tracy would have been more frightened that he seemed to be. Instead, he seemed to be holding himself together rather well given the circumstances. Many older and more experienced would have been either panicking or having a break down at this point. It went without saying that Ridley was impressed. It didn't prevent her from worrying about him but then she was doing that for the entire family who found themselves in their current dreadful situation. Letting out a sigh, she turned back to the AI.

"Can you keep an eye on things here for a bit?"

"Of course..."

Ridley nodded gratefully before heading off. For a moment, she considered paying a visit to Alan just to ensure that he was indeed alright. Ultimately, she elected not to preferring not to risk disturbing him and therefore waking him up. Instead, she quietly made her way to John's room. EOS could monitor the situation and let them know as soon as there was some development, until then it was a matter of remaining patient and trying to keep it all together.

She opened the door and stepped in before closing it again behind her. She stayed there, even although the man could very easily see her and she could see him. Neither moved. John was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling blankly. She couldn't recall ever seeing him like this before. Thus, the woman had no way of telling if this was her friend's form of coping with grief and exceptional stress or if this was something more, potentially much worse. Regardless of which it was, all she could feel for him was compassion. His blue-green eyes flickered over to her, resting on her for a few moments before returning to the absent stare directed just above him. She let out a soft sigh which she struggled to keep to herself. This was not the sort of thing she had had in mind when she had joined up with the GDF, although granted when she had taken an interest in the middle Tracy brother she had been moderately aware that her life might have been about to become a smidge more complicated. A part of her dreaded the challenge, the majority of her lived for it. Right now, the young man she had become so fond of needed some help. Someone to listen to him or perhaps simply to be here for him.

She approached slowly but remained quiet. He hadn't even bothered settling down under his covers. Her best guess was that he had just flopped down there and hadn't moved since. Settling down, she lay next to him resting her head against his chest. John didn't react. She hadn't really been expecting him to. She knew that as far as the space monitor was concerned, she would have to be a little patient. He wasn't the type to dump all of his troubles willingly on anyone's shoulders, nor did he take well to people prying. All things that she had learned over a period of weeks of getting to know him.

Her presence barely seemed to have registered with the young man. He lay there, motionless. His muscles were loose, his breaths deep but regular. She could hear the man's heart thumping in his chest. It was made faint by the layers of fabric between the two of them. Still, Ridley knew that it was still there and that was enough for her. She kept her eyes open but wasn't looking at anything in peculiar, she simply waited. She could wait for an eternity if that was what was required. Being patient, she tried her best to ignore everything that she had witnessed and knew could potentially be going on even right now and concentrate on John. He was all that was important right now. He had brothers to be worried about and to have worrying about him. Right now though, she felt that he might need someone to listen.

It could have been five minutes or it could have been five hours later when John finally spoke. His voice was quiet and uncharacteristically shaky:

"Did I ever tell you about the time I broke my leg?"

"No." Ridley kept her voice quiet and soft, inviting him to speak. "Can't say that you did."

"Me, Virg and Scott thought it was a good idea to go climbing some of the cliffs near our ranch. Mom and dad must have told us not to do it a thousand times…" With his right hand, he seemed to mime the shape of the rocks. "Even as a kid, I wasn't as sporty as they are. I fell. Scott stayed with me for half an hour whilst Virgil went off to get help. He wouldn't leave my side, not even when the ambulance came."

Ridley didn't respond. She tried to imagine him at such an age. Reluctantly and with a great deal of embarrassment, John had shown her some photos of himself when he was young boy. He was quite easily recognisable. The same red hair, bright eyes and freckles. Even back then, he seemed to be a bit more withdrawn that his siblings. He closed his eyes. The captain remained motionless, studying his features and wondering what was going on in his mind. Even after all these months and their more intimate relationship, she wasn't entirely sure that she could understand what was going on as far as John Tracy was concerned. She could only guess. Imagine what it was like to have a brother and sister-figure at the mercy of their enemy. She was forced the conclude that it had turn hurt.

"He was always there..." John sounded almost like his voice was cracking. "Now I can't help him!"

Anger took over the end of his sentence. It was rare for John. She'd seen him display irritation from time to time, usually directed either at his family or EOS but never before had she seen him truly angry. The frustration at his own inability to help his loved ones was one thing, no doubt combined with his hatred for the Mechanic after everything that he had done caused John to clench his fists violently. An action which didn't go unnoticed by his friend. Once more, she held in a sigh, understanding only too well just how hard it must have been for him. He was trying to look strong in front of Alan. Too much for one man to try and handle by himself.

She opened her mouth, ready to speak, to say something, anything to comfort him. It was by chance that she noticed a few tears gradually trickling their way down his cheeks. She paused, almost bewitched. Were it not for the few diamond like droplets of water flowing down, nobody could have known that he was in fact crying. There were no sobs or hiccups which might otherwise have been associated with the action. It wasn't something that she had ever witnessed before. As such, the captain found herself hesitating, unsure just what she could say or do to make things better. Probably very little, any words of comfort she could offer anything more than empty promises which they had no way of delivering on. Still, it was better than leaving him to anguish at their own current powerless state:

"You are helping them."

"Even if we do rescue them… The Mechanic will probably still have-"

"Shh..."

Gently, she placed a finger on his lips. Silencing him. It wasn't something that she had ever imagined herself doing. He seemed to be equally as surprised by the gesture, eyes widening considerably as he looked at her. She shook her head slowly. There was no sense in worrying about what couldn't be changed. Right now, they had done all that they could do. Waiting would be hard, it was always was. Naturally, he would feel powerless. That didn't mean that tearing himself apart for it would change anything. For a few moments, he simply contemplated her turquoise eyes watery from the few tears that continued to make their way down his face. Reaching out, she brushed them away with the softest of touches, still he flinched slightly as if the gesture hurt him.

She pulled him close, allowing to rest his head against her as she gently ran a hand through his hair. No more words were exchanged between them. There was something of silent understanding there. Both simply taking comfort from the other's presence and trying to ignore everything which currently seemed to be so wrong with the world.

/

Gordon Tracy sat listlessly in the seat of Thunderbird 4. He kept on trying to close his eyes but they refused to shut themselves. All he wanted to do was get some sleep. Anything to escape the nightmare that the world seemed to have become. Unfortunately, something prevented him from drifting off. Whether it was the inescapable concern for his brother and almost sister, the stress of the past few days or simply impatience at having to wait for Brains to finish his work, he couldn't have said. At the end of the day, it didn't really matter, he told himself as he stared blankly out of glass and into the darkness that made up pod n°4. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back and changed to looking up at the metal bolts of the ceiling.

He knew he shouldn't have been lingering on such thoughts but he still found himself wondering just what the two of them were going through right now. They both had their flaws. He knew that and was one to tease them for it. They had always seemed to be strong however. Scott was the eldest, as rash as he could be at times, he always landed on his feet and knew what to do. Kayo was their head of security, the woman in charge of protecting and someone whom Gordon would have backed in a fight against a grizzly bear. The fact that either one of them, let alone both working together had been caught frightened him.

He heard the door open behind him. He hadn't bothered to lock himself in. He turned his head, hoping to see either Virgil or Grandma rushing in to announce the good news that they had located the Mechanic's base and that they could start forming a plan to rescue their loved ones.

Instead, he found himself looking at a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Surprised by the visit, he found himself simply staring for a few moments, unable to think of anything suitable to say. The melancholy which weighed upon him didn't make him all that agreeable, a fact he was acutely aware of. Try as he might, he couldn't muster so much as a smile. It couldn't have been a welcoming sight to the Lady who had come so far to be reunited with them. A part of him was kicking himself for not saying something, even a simple "hello" would have sufficed to make himself seem less cold and perhaps to brighten the atmosphere somewhat.

To his surprise, he noticed that she was carrying a tray. Carefully, yet masterfully balanced on it were two cups of tea. Just where she had been able to locate porcelain was anyone's guess. He was certain that it wasn't something they had brought with them from the island. Presumably, Lady Penelope and Parker must have had a tea service stashed on board of FAB1 somewhere. Oddly, that wouldn't have surprised him in the slightest knowing the Lady's fondness of all things tea.

Despite his somewhat cold greeting, she offered him a gentle smile, approaching slowly. Her eyes froze however when they took note of the state of floors and overall salubrity of Thunderbird 4's cabin. Critical blue eyes darted around, quickly taking note of every discarded paper wrapper and half eaten celery bar lying around. A disapproving eyebrow was raised, one to which there were no words which could possibly justify his actions. Instead, he offered her a tired but somehow still goofy apologetic smile. She placed the tray down carefully, ensuring that it didn't lie against any important controls.

"I thought you could do with some tea."

"Thanks, Lady Penelope..." His eyes rested on the drink, as he tried his best to look enthusiastic. "But uh-"

"Now! Enough of this sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself!"

The tone in her room left little room for debate. Slowly, he reached for still steaming beverage nearest to him. There was an entire etiquette around tea drinking. A certain way to hold the cup and so on. At some point, he could recall reading up about it, hoping that he might be able to put the skills to use next time he met the British aristocrat and with any luck impress her. Unfortunately, the opportunity had never presented itself and so, his mastery of the cup and saucer had never been called upon, a carefully kept secret from his other family members who knowing them would no doubt have teased him for it. It was a ceremony he could do without right now given the current circumstances.

He held the drink in his hands, even through the porcelain, he could feel that it was still too warm to drink. He appreciated the heat however, holding it close to him as he waited patiently for it to cool down somewhat. He slushed the drink round a couple of times, staring listlessly at its contents. The smell was appealing and somewhat appeasing. He was more of a coffee person however, not that he would ever admit that to Penelope. If nothing else, it would only be confirming some of her stereotypes relating to Americans. His eyes drifted up to meet the features of the Lady. She was remaining surprisingly quiet, sitting on one of the seats behind his own. He had been expecting news from Grandma or to be told to actually get some proper rest. His brow furred slightly as the silence prolonged itself. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. He chose his words as carefully as possible however, not wanting to risk offending the aristocrat:

"Might I ask to what I owe the pleasure?"

"I just thought that you might need some company." There was a gentle and patient smile on her face.

He smiled softly in return. It was true that he could have done with someone to talk to. He had been spending too much time alone. That had been his own choice of course. He knew that his grandmother and older brother disapproved, being of the opinion that they should have been sticking together rather than isolating themselves. A part of him agreed, unfortunately, his own powerlessness in the current situation meant that he had found the presence of his family not to be irritation as much as a reminder that they weren't all here. Avoiding them had made things somewhat more bearable.

Lady Penelope was different however either that or it was the change in the situation which caused him to not only be able to tolerate her but even take some strange form of comfort from her presence. She was perfectly calm despite everything that had happened, Lady Penelope still managed to give off the vibes of a woman who was perfectly in control of everything. It was as if somehow she knew that everything would fall into place and they would be alright. It was something which his father and grandmother possessed and he could only long for. It brought a good deal of reassurance, as well as a feeling that he could relax, if not take his hands off of the controls then at least share them with another.

"I'm just worried Penelope." He went back to look at the coffee, an easier task than looking her in the eye. "I mean… You heard what the Hood said."

"Yes, I did." She blew softly on her own drink to cool it. "I also had the privilege of talking with Kayo and I can tell you, the Mechanic is making a mistake if he thinks either of them are going to break."

"Yeah I know!" Gordon stressed, somehow she didn't seem to be getting his point. "He's still going to try though. I watched enough movies to know what that means."

She didn't argue, knowing that there was no denying it was a possibility that when (in her mind there was no "if") they did rescue them their friends would have spent a few hours they would most likely want to forget. There was also a chance, if they could get their fast enough, that the Mechanic wouldn't have had enough time to do anything. After all, they had only been in his hands for about three hours now. Whilst a lot could happen, it was a fair bet that the man had other things to attend to than his prisoners. That could work in their favour. Silence settled in once more between them. He looked back out of his window into the dark depths of the pod and found himself wondering just what Scott and Kayo were looking at right now.

"Gordon..." She drew his attention once more. "You know that people need your help when you're waiting on board Thunderbird 2 to be dropped, don't you?"

"Of course..." He frowned wondering where this was going.

"Well, it strikes me that Scott and Kayo are the ones who need saving, right now." Her gaze travelled around the inside of the cabin. "Thunderbird 2 might not be flying but you're still waiting, aren't you?"

"I don't have much of a choice." He let out a pained sigh. "What else can we do?"

"Nothing, except be ready to rescue them when the time comes."

He blinked a few times, not quite understanding. They didn't normally rescue hostages. Even when they did, it tended to fall into Kayo's territory. She was practically a one woman army when it came to dealing with criminals. At least that's what they had told themselves… Never before had one of their own been taken by their enemy. At least not intentionally and for a prolonged period of time, Fireflash had been an accident and thankfully they had been able to save Parker from Banino before any serious harm had been done. Behind him, Lady Penelope took a sip of her tea before putting it back down in her saucer.

With the gentlest of touches, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt himself tense up, not quite expecting such a gesture. Raising his head, he found himself looking into the eyes of the young woman. He managed a very faint smile.

"You'll be ready. Now in the meantime, might I suggest drinking your tea before it gets cold."

He looked at the beverage one more time. He wouldn't sleep tonight. That much he was certain of. No matter what happened, he wouldn't be able to get his brother and something of a sister out of his mind. He suspected that Penny knew that. That was why she had come to seek him out as she had. Provide him with some comfort and company in what she no doubt knew would be a hard time for him. Tentatively, he picked the cup up. It was raised half way to his lips before the aquanaut stopped, pausing briefly. He looked back up to see the aristocrat.

"To saving Scott and Kayo?" He proposed raising the cup slightly.

"Toasts are normally done with something with a higher alcohol content but yes… To saving them."

There was a clatter of porcelain as they both drank. Gordon, allowing himself for the briefest of moments to feel some degree of hope.

/

It was some time later when Brains cried out. It was a sound that his friends were somewhat used to hearing from him. Despite his usually comparatively calm and controlled exterior, it wasn't unknown for him to have sudden outbursts of joy or excitement. The Hood however, not quite as used to their family's relationships and dynamics, jumped slightly, taken by surprise. This in turn, caused his brother, despite his troubled mind, to get up, startled and weary. The two exchanged a cold look before turning over to see the resident genius, a broad smile as he contemplated a holographic image of what looked like a bunker.

Instantly, those family members who were still outside rushed over, eager to see just what had been discovered. It wasn't much, just the image of building of some kind on the side of a mountain. It looked to be a remote spot, with nothing more than rocks and trees for miles around. It certainly wasn't a place any of them had ever set foot before.

"Found him!"

"Where is that?" The Hood peered at the construction, eyes narrow and dangerous.

"Canada." Brains zoomed out a little to give them a clue. "Th-There isn't a town around there for about 100 miles."

A perfect hiding place. He would need to be some place isolated for his work. He wouldn't want someone spotting his presence. He might have the GDF wrapped around his finger. Whether that would remain the same if they knew where he was was another matter. They might be tempted to try a swift missile strike or a covert operation if they thought they could silence him and more importantly sever his connection with Sentinel. He could have been there for years and people would likely never have known about it. Perhaps he had. Grandma Tracy briefly read some of the text which Brains brought up concerning the bunker, a long abandoned military facility it would seem dating back to the Global Conflict. He hadn't even had to build anything…

"Parker, could you go get the boys and Penny please?" The man nodded obliging to the woman's request. "It's time we gave the Mechanic what he's got coming!"


	16. Chapter 16

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and I'm sorry for the delay (I said about a week per chapter) but I got caught up in real life etc. Just a little warning, this chapter is probably higher T in terms of rating, at least compared to the previous ones. I thought it safer to mention it._**

 ** _/_**

The metal door screeched loudly as it opened. No doubt it hadn't been used in quite some time. Everything about this place felt old and as if it was slowly falling apart. There was a persistent smell of damp which lingered in the air, unpleasant and unavoidable. In addition, there was rust beginning to form on parts of the exposed metal. Whatever this place was, it hadn't been maintained very well and had been left to rot for quite some time. A rusty door was hardly surprising. Granted, the noise seemed to be amplified somewhat by the silence he had been forced to endure.

Scott got to his feet, a mixture of uncertain and nervous. This wasn't the first time his door had been opened. Initially, he had presumed that he was going to be dragged out or otherwise find himself face to face with his captor. Instead, he'd only caught a brief glimpse of the man's hand as he'd shoved a plate of food and a bottle of water inside before locking him in once more. The pilot of Thunderbird 1 had been left uncertain how to proceed. It was true, he was both hungry and thirsty. During his time on the run, he'd skipped more than the occasional meal and was beginning to feel it. Just the odd bout of weakness or tiredness. He was however weary of Greeks bearing gifts. There was no saying what could have been slipped into the food or the water. If they were still alive, the Mechanic would want them for something. Most likely information. One way to get it was through drugs. He hadn't touched the food. The water however, to his surprise was still sealed in a bottle. He supposed that it could have been tampered with and so had taken only the smallest of sips in an attempt to ease his parched throat. He'd waited patiently and upon not noticing any side-effects had dared to take a little more.

He couldn't have said how long ago that was. With no watch and no natural daylight to even attempt to guess the time with, he was left utterly clueless as to just how long he had been locked up in here. Long enough for him to want out. Long enough for him to get scared.

No doubt that was the intention, to wear him down slowly but surely. Trapped in here, there was little else he could do but think. Naturally, that caused his mind to wander back to his friend. He kept on unwillingly reliving that punch that Kayo had received. The look of pain on her face as she had crumpled to the ground, her legs no longer able to bear her weight had haunted him as he had sat in the corner of the cell, awaiting what seemed like his inevitable fate. He had pressed his ear to the cold wall next to him and listened, hoping to hear some sign of life. There had been nothing but silence.

Now, as the door opened fully, he found himself faced with the Mechanic in person. Anger coursed through Scott's veins as he fixed him. He hadn't forgotten what the man had done to his friend. It was easy to hit someone who had their hands tied and was being held in place by four GDF officers. He clenched his fists, readying himself. For reasons unknown, their captor had decided that he could have his handcuffs removed. Perhaps he was perceived as less of a threat than his friend. Whatever the case, he was free to make a fist and rush his captor. Just one punch. That's all he wanted. Well, more accurately, all it would take for him to be content. He wanted to inflict some pain. Enough to avenge Kayo, even just slightly.

Did he think that rushing his captor would work? No. Not really. Unfortunately, the Mechanic wasn't so stupid as to approach a man he had captured unprepared.

A sharp pain struck his body as soon as he got close. He jumped back instinctively, not sure what had caused the pain. He hadn't been punched but there was no denying the lingering sting. He raised his gaze to his foe and instantly spotted the problem. The man was armed in his right arm with what resembled a cattle prod. A few sparks still flickered at the end of it. Instinctively, Scott raised his hand to his left forearm where he had received the shock. It still stung, burning slightly. The Mechanic remained calm, weapon at the ready but otherwise simply waiting patiently no doubt ready for another attempt to strike him. Scott contemplated the situation as level handedly as possible. He knew he wasn't going to get past his foe, yet anger and desperation spurred him on.

Moving more quickly he lashed out, hoping to be able to grab the hand which held the weapon and if not disarm him then at least prevent him from using it. Too slow, in a flash, the device once more touched his skin, this time his hand. Instinct caused him to back away. The pain was quick and sharp, the sort of thing which made you flinch instinctively and jump back as your muscles tensed up. Blinded by rage, he rushed forwards once more not particularly caring for a strategy this time. His reward was two sharp jolts this time which brought him to his knees cursing loudly from a mixture of pain and frustration. He stayed there for a moment, clutching his left shoulder which had received the last blow in an attempt to soothe it slightly. Patiently, the Mechanic waited. His dark brown eyes fixed the Tracy brother with a look of disdain. It was almost as if all of this was beneath him.

"I can do this all day." Scott narrowed his eyes at the man's announcement. "Can you?"

"Why don't we find out?" It was hard to sound brave he found as he struggled to pull himself back onto his already shaking legs. He would have to endure more of this, he told himself, and this was already making for a poor start.

"We could do-" The Mechanic tossed a set of handcuffs to his feet. "or I could take you to Miss Kyrano."

Kayo… He hadn't forgotten about her. That one thought caused Scott to pause. His attention drifted past the Mechanic, almost as if he was trying to see if his friend might be there somewhere. No. The man wouldn't be so stupid. He had been burned yesterday (or whenever they had first been brought in here), he wouldn't underestimate her again. Tanusha would be under lock and key somewhere she couldn't possibly escape from. That meant that he was acutely aware that he would have to go along with whatever the man said, if indeed, he did want to see her again. Still, Scott hesitated. He didn't like this much.

Having the two of them separated made far more sense than allowing them to interact. The two of them together were more dangerous than they were apart. He could play them against each other. Use their closeness as a threat. Had the door of his cell miraculously vanished, Scott wouldn't have fled until he had been able to find his friend and he was certain that she would have done the same. If he was offering to reunite them, it most definitely wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. Scott felt a certain amount of his dread as he stood there, trying to keep his composure together somewhat and swallow down the lump which was beginning to form in his throat. He tried his best to keep himself together. Even the slightest display of weakness would be pounced upon in an instant. He managed to get out, struggling to keep herself from displaying much emotion:

"Have you hurt her?"

"Knowing that I have isn't going to change your answer."

Scott bit his lower lip. It was the only way to prevent himself from doing something foolish like trying to rush the man once more or snapping. He was right of course. If anything, the notion that his friend might be in pain only encouraged him to go along with what the Mechanic had requested. Bending down, he picked up the handcuffs. Whilst he managed to get the first one on relatively easily, the second proved to be more of a challenge, requiring some dexterity. He managed to get it on however and presented his hands to his captor so that he might ensure that the restraints were to his liking. It seemed to be an unnecessary precaution however as his enemy barely even looked at it. Stepping aside to allow him out, the man didn't speak a word.

He barely had enough time to realize what was going on as a bag was shoved roughly over his head. He gasped a few times, surprised. With the exception of a few stray bands of light, he was rendered almost completely blind. He found himself being shoved along, encouraged to walk without being told to. He obliged. With his hands bound and unable to see, he didn't have much of a choice. The Mechanic was rough but not quite as violent as he had been with Kayo. As soon as he had gathered that his prisoner was going to comply, he relaxed somewhat releasing his grip and choosing to simply place a hand on the Scott's shoulder, guiding him along. Largely blind, he staggered along, struggling to avoid tumbling.

They continued like that for a while. Heading down what he guessed was a series of corridors, anxiety began to torment him as he found himself wondering just where Kayo was and more importantly what had been done to her. Curiously, as they turned right, the Mechanic spoke, his voice oddly calm and sedate:

"You care about her, don't you?"

A potentially toxic question. They both knew it. That was why it was asked. Scott held his breath. He didn't know how to respond. He couldn't think of anything to say which wouldn't potentially land them both in trouble. If he denied the accusation, then the Mechanic would see through him in a moment and have something to use against him in the future. He would hate to think of the implications of "not caring about Kayo". On the other hand, to confirm the man's statement would only lead to him being able to use the young woman as leverage. Something he was liable to try and do anyhow. Not answering would in all likelihood be taken as agreeing. He closed his eyes, barely even noticing the difference of the bag over his head. He let out a heavy sigh:

"You know the answer to that."

"Given that you were apprehended after sharing a bed, I can guess."

Their foe seemed to find it amusing. Scott didn't bother to correct him about what had happened. He wouldn't have been interested in his personal life at any rate, much less believed him. It had crossed his mind as he had sat in the GDF cell waiting that he had been arrested half naked in a room he had so obviously been sharing with Kayo. Whilst he was acutely aware that there were at least a thousand other things he should be worrying about right now, he couldn't help but wonder what Colonel Casey had made of it all. She must have noticed. Maybe she had dismissed it as just one of those things or more likely had better things to concern her than a potential intimidate relationship between two of her godchildren. He shook his head, there were better things to be troubling himself with presently.

They stopped. He narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through a few of the pinholes in the cloth which made up the bag covering his head. He could make next to nothing out. There was the sound of metal grinding as he felt something pass near him. He must have opened another door. Shoved once more, Scott began to walk forwards treading carefully least there be a step or something that he might trip over. Behind him, the Mechanic gripped him more roughly encouraging him to move faster. He winced, protesting instinctively. It was difficult not to shiver as the temperature felt as if it had plummeted a good ten degrees. He doubted that it was actually freezing but the air was now cool enough to make him wish that he had another few layers on.

Without any warning, he found himself abruptly being shoved onto his knees. A slight gasp escaped his lips. His heart had started to pound once more in his chest. Despite what the Mechanic had told him earlier, he couldn't help but think that this could all just be a trick to ensure that he remained calm and didn't fight back as a bullet was aimed at his head. The chances of it were few, Scott imagined that his captor would have been more than capable of killing him in his cell, still he couldn't help but wonder if he might be experiencing the last few moments of his life. Closing his eyes, he tried to remain as calm and dignified as possible. His foe would pick up on his fear and use it against him. If nothing else, it felt like the only way to show some respect to Kayo for what she had been prepared to endure was to stay as fearless as possible.

He felt the man fiddle with the chains between his handcuffs for a few seconds before releasing him once more. Scott stayed on his knees. His breaths were deep and shaky despite his attempts to maintain control. He could feel the hairs on his arms sticking on end whether that was from fear or simply due to the chilly temperatures, he wasn't able to see. His captor seemed to be content to leave him like that for a little while, no doubt aware that every second another potential nightmare scenario invited itself into his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember some of the techniques that his father had taught him to stay brave. He managed to summon the images of his family into his mind, hoping that they might be enough to stop him from lingering on the more terrifying aspects of his current predicament. _Keep it together Scott…_ He told himself taking a few deep breaths, _If this is it, make sure you go down like a man_.

A rough hand gripped the bag, pulling it off of his head and taking a few of his hairs with it. He yelped unwillingly. To his surprise, it was rather bright in the room. So much so that he had to close his eyes in order to prevent them from being too badly dazzled by the sudden influx of light. He found himself staring at some white tiles on the floor, there was quite the layer of dirt covering them. Evidently, this place hadn't been cleaned in quite some time. It was the result of lying unused for years. He guessed the Mechanic wasn't one for housekeeping. What was that smell? He tried to pull himself together raising his eyes. To his left, he could see his much beloved captor standing not that far away, next to table. He seemed distracted with something. Scott narrowed his eyes, trying to make out just what he was doing. Whatever it was, he assumed that it was something he wouldn't like. Thunderbird 1's pilot attempted to stand, the clatter of metal caused him to glance down. His handcuffs were now attached by a chain to the floor. He might have been able to stand, maybe but he certainly wouldn't be able to get more than a few feet.

She summoned as much courage as he possessed and demanded, his voice low and angry:

"Where's Kayo?! What have you done with her?!"

The Mechanic responded with a half-interested nod to somewhere behind him. Scott's eyes travelled slowly as he found himself forced to turn around. Then he froze. In a matter of seconds, his blood ran cold and he felt that his heart might actually have stopped. Horror gripped him, paralysing every muscle in his body. The room seemed to become very cold indeed, darker too. The tunnel vision caused him to forget about everything else around him. It all seemed to be nothing but white noise. The young man was shaking, he could feel it but it was like something had pulled him out of his body. It forced him to simply stare. Despite the sickness which had begun to take hold, he still found himself capable of taking in everything that his eyes were showing him, no matter how much he might have wished not to.

There was blood on the floor. Every now and then, there would be another drop which fell, creating a sinister little splatter which his ears picked up on only too easily. His eyes travelled up slowly, past the bare feet which were no longer touching the floor, following the legs secured to the wall around their ankles by a pair of solid steel shackles. With her arms attached just above her head, the captive was unable to move in the slightest. Not that she was even trying. She was… Very still... Terrifyingly so. He found himself desperately searching for signs of life. It took him a moment to spot the fact that her chest was rising periodically, irregularly and with a slight wheeze each time. Her head hung lowly, loosely. It was clear that she was unconscious. Still, he could see traces of blood running down her face and dripping slowly from her mouth and nose.

The young man remained trapped for a moment. Unable to think straight or react accordingly, he could only stare. There was a part of him which just wanted to scream. He forgot about where he was and what had happened. The rest of existence seemed to fade away and become unimportant leaving just his friend, battered, bruised and bleeding. Somewhere along the line, he was aware that he had gotten to his feet. He was shaking, trembling from head to foot. Anger or shock, it could have been either or perhaps both. The former pilot felt sick. The world seemed to be spinning. Any logical or understandably thoughts were nothing but white noise. If he moved, it was only instinct. Every fibre of his body suddenly began screaming that Kayo Kyrano, the woman who had risked so much for them, for him, was hurt badly and needed help.

He forgot about the chains trying to rush forwards to reach the woman. There was a loud clatter followed by a sharp pain as he found himself being stopped brutally. A little harder and it felt as if he could have pulled his shoulders out of their sockets. Despite the restraints, he still tugged as hard as he could, feeling the metal from the handcuffs cutting at his skin. His muscles and bones hurt from the effort, still, he struggled until he was read in the face and out of breath. Not once did he turn his attention away from the young woman. In truth, he probably wasn't all that far away from her, a couple of feet at most. Close enough to smell the blood. No doubt the Mechanic had intended it to be so, tormentingly close yet still too far to make a difference.

He gave his chains three more violent tugs, shouting with each of them, venting his outrage. When the steel stayed strong, his attention turned to their captor, the man who was responsible for this:

"You did that to her?!" It wasn't so much a question as an accusation, a wild roar which couldn't contain the rage of the man behind it.

"Yes." A simple and calm reply completely unfazed was all that he received. "I'm afraid miss Kyrano hasn't been very cooperative, I'm hoping you'll be a good deal more reasonable."

He was carrying something, a bucket. Scott felt himself tense up as he subconsciously prepared for what was to come. One of his prisoners was unconscious. He would get nothing more from her. That left him with one captive he could still interrogate however. The eldest brother took a deep breath, trying to shield the action from his enemy who would no doubt pick up on it in a matter of moments and see it as what it was a sign of fear, a sign of weakness. Seeing Kayo, usually so strong, in her current state horrified him. The anger was still there. If it weren't for the chains, he would likely have been trying to wrap his hands around the man's throat. Fear had begin to form up inside of him as well. It was instinctive, he couldn't help it. Instead, he found himself remembering that even without any chains, he had only been able to put up a pitiful defence against the man when he had come to get him from his cell.

His gaze travelled back over to Kayo. How much did it take before someone passed out from pain?

The reality was slowly beginning to settle in that they weren't going to be able to escape this. He had rather hoped that a rescue might be on the horizon. Unfortunately, it looked like they might have to wait a little while longer. It was already too late for Kayo. Even if his brothers turned up miraculously right now, she would probably still be looking at a stay in hospital. He took his eyes off of the young woman, he couldn't help her… He told himself and making a fuss was only going to make things worse. To his surprise, the bucket wasn't intended for him. Instead, its contents – water as far as he could tell – were splashed over the head of security's face rather violently.

"Wake up!"

The man's command left little room for debate. Instantly, Kayo began spluttering, eyes wide and panicked. For perhaps the first time or pretty darn near it since he'd known her, she looked frightened. Very frightened… There was no mistaking the terror behind her eyes as she lay her sights on the Mechanic. The man was standing right in front of her, a merciless frown on his face. She was breathing rapidly. It was instinct talking. Awoken so brutally, she hadn't been able to gather her wits enough to raise the barriers around herself, as such it left her open and vulnerable. The young woman simply stared at him, dripping wet and with blood continuing to run down her face. He turned away abruptly, heading back over to the table to occupy himself with something else.

That allowed her to breathe a little easier. Her head appeared to roll as she seemingly lacked the strength to keep it raised. For a moment, Scott thought that she might have been about to lose consciousness once more. Her attention wandered around the room before her gaze found him. Her green eyes were bloodshot and much duller than they should have been. One in particular, her right was surrounded by bruised and swollen skin. He wondered what, if anything she could possibly still see. There was no doubt that she knew he was there however. The pained look she gave him, not so much informing him of her physical torment as much as the fact that she wished with all of her heart that he wasn't here to witness this. The eldest brother opened his mouth to speak but the words simply wouldn't come. What could he say? No reassuring words of kindness would change what had been done to her and they most certainly couldn't take the torment away. At best, all he could try and do was express his sympathy and try and be as brave as she had been.

"I'm going to keep this simple." The Mechanic spoke loudly to ensure that he was heard whilst he approached Kayo. He continued speaking as he proceeded to inject the contents of a syringe into her forearm causing her to wince. "You answer my questions truthfully and accurately. Should you refuse to do so, lie or otherwise conceal elements of the truth, I will run an electric current through Tanusha Kyrano's body. Every refusal or otherwise incorrect answer with result in a longer and more powerful shock."

Scott blinked a couple of times. He could understand the meaning of the man's words perfectly, he was speaking English after all. Still, for some reason, it proved difficult to wrap his mind around it. His eyes fell upon Kayo. She was looking straight at him, fully conscious. A large grizzly cut under her right eye send blood trickling down her cheek. For the eldest brother, it was as if he had slipped into some nightmarish alternate plain of reality. A part of him told him that despite what his senses were telling and showing him, this wasn't real. If he tried hard enough, he would wake up on Tracy Island, safe and with his family all around him. After all… How could this have happened to them? He might have been caught but there was no way anyone on Earth could get the better of Tanusha Kyrano. It was simply impossible. This couldn't be happening.

Please don't let it be real…

He felt trapped. Unable to process just what was happening. His state of shock seemed to have gone unnoticed by his captor. The man headed back over to Tanusha. She seemed to have regained enough awareness to be able to give him a cold but weary glare. No doubt she had learned over the course of a few hours to expect the worst whenever the Mechanic came anywhere near her. She kept her mouth shut. Channelling all of her hatred for the man through her eyes alone. He didn't seem to be fazed however, instead reaching out to offer her a small piece of what looked like thick, round wood. The young woman fixed it with a mixture of suspicion and disgust.

"I suggest you bite down on this."

She hesitated for a moment, uncertain before somewhat reluctantly accepting it. She managed to move it further back into her mouth with some difficulty. Moving her jaw seemed to be a painful activity, as he noticed her wince a few times. Finally, she seemed to have it in a position where it didn't risk falling out. Closing her eyes, the young woman lowered her head. For a moment, Scott thought that she might have lost consciousness once more. After a few seconds however, she realized that she was still awake, simply readying herself steadily for what she sensed was about to happen.

Scott felt a growing sense of anxiety begin to take over him. The Mechanic took his time, strolling leisurely back over to the table where he picked up a small controller before coming back over so that he stood in front of them. The handcuffed prisoner gave his friend a brief glance. She was helpless. They both were. His heart had began to hammer loudly in his chest, echoing through his ears as he stood there. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity for their captor to speak.

"Why did you shoot down one of my mechs?"

A simple question. It didn't take much to think about. He could have told the truth. It would have been easy. He couldn't though. In the back of his mind was the knowledge that his brothers, Brains and Grandmother would no doubt be working on tracking down the Mechanic. He didn't know if by some miracle, Kayo had been able to get them the data they had risked life and limb to acquire but even if she hadn't, he didn't want to risk cluing their enemy in to just what their plan was. The malaise only grew as he tried to quickly think of some sort of lie. His captor tapped his foot loudly, informing him that his patience was running thin. His thumb hovered just above the button, a constant reminder of the threat which lay behind it.

He would have to come up with a lie, a convincing and feasible one. Something which would fool their captor. He gave Kayo a quick glance. She seemed to be impossibly calm given the situation, putting up no residence what-so-ever. He figured that she must have been trying to make this all easier for him to bear. Had she been crying and screaming, he wasn't too sure if he would have been able to think clearly enough to come up with a potential cover story. He dragged the wait out just a few seconds longer, realizing that he would have to reluctantly hand over the information if it was to be believable. Seeming too eager would only raise suspicions and prove to be counter-productive in the extreme. As such, he forced out a heavy and resentful sigh:

"We just stumbled on it."

Kayo jerked suddenly, her eyes shot wide and her whole body tensed up violently. It only lasted a second. It came across as more of a jump than anything else. She gasped for breath a couple of times, visibly shaken. Too confused to think properly, it took Scott a second to realize just what had happened. His own surprise prevented him from reacting. He didn't know what he had been expecting… Bolts of lightning? Screams of agony? At least something of a warning perhaps. Instead, all he was left with was his friend looking startled, as if she couldn't quite understand what had caused the sudden bout of pain. His attention flashed back to the Mechanic. Despite the mask, he could make out the stern expression on his face.

"Don't take me for a fool! The chances of you happening upon one by accident are almost non-existent! What were you doing out there?"

"Running from you!"

He'd snapped back in anger, almost instinctively. This man was responsible for hurting his friend. Creating a fury Scott was somewhat familiar with. He had one single urge: to free both himself and Kayo and to get some quick and painful vengeance on their captor. It wasn't the first time that he had found himself with the urge to inflict physical pain on another. That fraud of an archaeologist… Harold… He'd almost cost Gordon, Penelope and Parker their lives and been rather unapologetic about it. There was no Virgil here to hold him back, only chains which prevented him from moving too far. His enemy had calculated it no doubt, standing just out of range. His cold brown eyes spoke of him gradually losing patience. Instantly, Scott realized that he had just made a mistake.

This time he saw the man press the button. He kept his finger on it for the duration of Kayo's shock. Once more, the young woman tensed up abruptly. Her jaw clenched so hard he feared that her teeth might shatter as they bit down hard on the wood still in her mouth. The look of pain on her face was clear to see, obviously struggling with all of her might to avoid screaming as current coursed through her body causing it to tense up violently and convulse. In total, it probably only lasted about three seconds but the effect was great. Even if it was only a brief jolt, the pain was still severe enough to leave her evidently stunned and aching as she struggled to catch her breath and gasped all the while desperately trying to avoid dropping the wood she held in her mouth.

Scott got the message. He would have to hold both his temper and his tongue. Like it or not, this man had power of life and death over the both of them. Every time he messed up, it was Kayo who was suffering for it. Panic began to settle in as the young man struggled to think of a response which would suit his captor but wouldn't compromise his brothers. He was breathing too fast, it was something his foe would pick up on as well as the terror behind his eyes. Any notions that he might have had about being able to fool the Mechanic were quickly crumbling as he realized just who he was dealing with or rather remembered. The man approached, stopping just a little short of him. He seemed gigantic for a few moments. When he did speak, his voice was strangely calm, disconnected from the pain he was causing:

"Care to reconsider your answer?"

"I..." The words simply didn't come, largely because he couldn't think of anything to say.

"I should warn you, I don't have all day..."

"We were running-" His eyes shot open as he saw the man prepare to push the button. "Don't!"

Too late, his words had little effect on the man. Yet another shock ran through her body causing her back to arch violently. Scott tugged at his chains trying desperately to reach her. A part of him knew that he couldn't do anything for her. His instincts however demanded that he try to do something, anything. Watching her thrash around unwillingly as her muscles contracted without her demanding it. A scream could be heard, it was muffled by the stick which she was biting down so hard upon. It was still enough to make the eldest brother sick in the stomach as he was forced to bear witness to his friend's agony. The fury was being muted now simply by a mixture of horror and an intense longing for it to be over.

He didn't bother counting the seconds sensing that it would only make the feeling of utter powerlessness worse. The Mechanic would be. He had this all worked out. He would be counting silently. Scott knew that much. When it was over, Kayo was back to gasping, desperately trying to catch her breath and recover in time to be ready for the next attack. The Mechanic turned back to look at him, his eyes dark and merciless. He could and would do this for as long as it took. Scott didn't know just how much more Kayo could put up with. Her suffering was obvious both during the shock and following it. If he continued to fail to provide their captor with the answers he wanted, it was only going to get more difficult to bear. He himself was unsure if he was going to be able to stomach any more shocks.

"I'm waiting."

"I can't-" Scott shook his head negatively.

"Perhaps you need some more encouragement..."

"No!"

Their captor remained emotionless, simply pressing the button once more and keeping it held down for a duration which only he knew. Maybe that was supposed to be part of the torment? Never knowing when it was going to stop. Scott felt his legs give way underneath him, no longer able to bear his own wait as his body began to shake. Kayo's body tensed up so violently that he feared her bones might shatter. Her screams seemed to echo through his ears. He wanted to scream screams of his own. He couldn't shut him out from the world which surrounded him no matter how hard he tried. Only Kayo's suffering seemed to exist. It was impossible to ignore. Even closing his eyes to try and block out some of the horror was impossible.

When it was over, he found himself struggling to hold back tears. Any notions he might have had about staying brave and not showing weakness had vanished. Tanusha's head rocked slowly as she struggled to remain conscious following the last shock. How much could she possibly take? He could potentially kill her. That's what it felt like. She was going to die screaming… Scott couldn't get the image out of his mind:

"P-P..." He shook his head desperately trying to pull himself together to stop himself from stammering. "Put me in her place."

"I doubt that would be as effective..." The man's eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them.

For the first time since the excruciating process had begun, Scott locked eyes with Kayo. He wasn't too sure what he'd been expecting. She was breathing heavily, evidently trying to recover from the pain. Perhaps he was surprised by how weak she seemed to be. It took a lot to get the young woman down, both physically and emotionally. Usually, she was like a fire which could never be put out, even if someone tried to extinguish her flames she would bounce back with a vengeance. Right now, she looked like someone who had hit their limit a while ago but was somehow continuing to limp on with the remainder of their strength. He opened his mouth, hoping that he might be able to take advantage in the brief pause of her torment to speak with her. Then he wondered, what could he say? Asking her if she was alright would be positively insulting. Trying to tell her it would be fine equally so. Perhaps beg an apology or express his compassion? He didn't know what he could do.

There on his hands and knees, feeling truly sick in the stomach and desperately longing for the nightmare to end, he found himself struggling to hold back tears. He knew that his enemy was just waiting for them to come. Allowing them to spill would be a sure fire way of letting him know that his plan was working and that he was getting to him. Still, the eldest brother couldn't help himself. He lowered his head, looking down at the floor as he tried to block out the image of the young woman's haunted and pained expression. One which he could do very little to remedy.

"Still not going to answer?" The Mechanic nudged him with his foot, as if trying to provoke an answer.

"I can't..." His voice was trembling terribly beyond any semblance of control which he might once have had.

"Very well..."

Scott didn't move. He didn't need to see Kayo suffering to know it was happening. He could hear her thrash around and the screams which were muffled slightly. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to move his consciousness somewhere else where he wouldn't have to take this in. His fingers tugged at his hair. The pain the action caused him to wince as tears stung at his eyes. This was by far and away the most violent shock yet. Somehow, not actually looking made it worse. Instead, he found himself with less to focus on which seemed to amplify the desperate wailing. They would have been worse were it not for the current coursing through her body causing her jaw muscles to tense up and make her bite down hard on the wood in her mouth. Her cries were broken, terrified and agonized. All things he should have been protecting her from.

The tears fell. It didn't seem to be ending. It all just came to a head causing him to scream out desperately:

"Stop it! Please!" It didn't end until the Mechanic had finished his own personal countdown, delivering a charge for just as long as he had initially planned to.

"It will stop when you tell me what I want to know." Scott's gaze flickered up to meet the man.

"I can't… You'll kill them." The images of his brothers and Grandma continued to haunt his mind.

"You think this is about your family? I don't care about them… What I want to know is why you shot down my mech."

Scott took a deep breath. Trying his best to calm himself and to try and think things through logically. In a way, it would have been easier if Tanusha was begging, if she was asking for it to end. As it was, she remained quiet. Simply catching her breath but otherwise refusing to yield. She had been suffering since before he had arrived and yet - as far as he could tell - had told the Mechanic nothing. If he broke now, it would be flying in the face of all of that. She would hate him for it. On the other hand, in saying nothing he was allowing her to suffer. In a way, encouraging or at the very least provoking her tormentor into inflicting increasing amounts of pain.

Closing his eyes, he let out a heavy sigh wondering for a moment if he might be about to be sick. He was definitely shaking enough.

"We hacked GDF systems… Found your drone."

"Now that I can believe..." The Mechanic seemed to relax slightly. "Why?"

"You give her a break and a drink." Anger filled the trembling of his voice.

"What?" The man blinked a few times, seemingly struggling to believe what he was being told.

"You stop this and give her a drink and I'll tell you why we shot down the drone."

"Along with where we keep our Thunderbirds and the WIFI password."

Kayo's voice was hoarse and weak, like someone who had been suffering from a terrible croaky throat for a week. It was painful on the ears for any who knew her. It was quite obvious from watching her that she was struggling to speak. Even after so comparatively few words, the young woman still needed to pause for some staggered breaths. Despite everything however, she managed to muster some kind of force which made her sound dangerous. There was something of a hidden menace behind what she had said. A total disdain for her tormentor which caused her to dare - regardless of the suffering which had been inflicted upon her – to taunt him. She even managed a little smirk, just a small one, which tug at the corner of her mouth.

The Mechanic seemed disproportionately angry. Usually, he could be trusted to keep a relatively level-head, cool and calculating. Kayo seemed to have been able to chip through all of his defences with only a handful of words for a weapon. Scott wondered at what point the man had decided he would get nothing out of her and had decided he would be the softer target. Their captor had been correct of course. The elder brother felt he had come dangerously close to breaking, maybe that was what had caused his friend to intervene the way that she had. Instantly, he regretted his outburst. The man stormed over to his captive who managed to give him a steely glare as he stopped just in front of her, fists clenched tightly. For a moment, the eldest brother feared that he might be about to witness her being beaten once more. He wasn't far off as the man lashed out violently, belowing at the top of his lungs:

"You think this is a game?!" Fury marked every syllable as he bellowed at the young woman, his iron fist wrapping itself around her neck as his fingers dug into her cheeks. "Don't you realize I could kill you in an instant?!"

Her discomfort was obvious. The young woman winced painfully, instinctively trying to wiggle away. A mixture of her restraints and her own weakness brought on by the prolonged abuse prevented her from doing so. Instead, she opted for the next best thing. She spat, nailing a direct hit on the man's face. He staggered back as if he had just been hurt. It took him a moment to gather enough of his wits to wipe the mix of saliva and something which didn't escape Scott's attention blood. Hopefully it was simply from the bashing she had been forced to endure as opposed to coming from somewhere deeper. The Mechanic contemplated the substance on his fingers with disgust, rubbing them together briefly. When he raised his eyes to look at her, it was clear that there would be repercussions. Kayo just gave him a devil's grin, almost egging the man on.

Whether she had or hadn't been looking for a response, she got one. The man slapped her across the face. Scott almost felt the blow reverberate inside of him, somehow paralysing him. Kayo's head fell violently to the side where it remained. Then, everything was silent. For a few seconds which seemed to stretch out all too long for the chained prisoner's liking, all that could be heard was the young woman's pained and shuddered breaths and those of the Mechanic as they began to slow as he calmed down. Initially, the eldest brother feared that the woman might have loss consciousness once more, although objectively that could have been a blessing…

She did begin to stir however, apparently only stunned. Her eyes flickered round so that she could see him through her peripheral vision. Hatred and unbridled rage slowly began to fill them. Her hands clenched to form fists as they began to tremble. Without warning, she lashed out. The restraints stopped her for the most part, she still succeeded in lurching forwards however. Probably driven by instinct, the man took a step back, startled by the sudden show of aggression from a woman he had perhaps assumed was spent. Kayo struggled for a moment, pulling so hard on her restraints that it almost seemed as if she might be capable of tearing them out of the wall. After a few seconds however, it became clear that she was quickly running out of strength, perhaps realizing that her anger served no purpose. Her tugs became less violent, more lacklustre before finally they ceased completely.

Kayo caught her breath struggling with a mixture of the physical exertion in her weakened state and her own emotional outburst. It was only once she had calmed down that Scott noticed the tears slowly making their way down her cheeks, leaving traces in the dirt and blood stains. The Mechanic laughed. He dared to laugh at her. It was a cold and cruel sound full of disdain. Kayo could only glare back at him through her watery eyes:

"Not so tough now, are we?"

"You let me out of these God damn shackles and I'll show you how tough I am!"

The man huffed with amusement but to Scott's surprise, made no more attempts to harm her. Instead, he headed towards the door. Was it finally over? He found himself wondering, his mind spinning as he sat there, still undecided about whether or not he was going to throw up. He prayed silently for the man to leave, for them to be left in peace, if only for a few moments. Just long enough to catch their breaths and in Kayo's case hopefully for some of the pain to ease just a little bit. He turned back just before leaving, giving them both a cold look. His eyes narrowed dangerously, causing the eldest brother to begin to fear the worse.

"I'll give you two some alone time while I make a call. See if you can maybe come to your senses?"

He was gone a second later, the door shut behind him leaving the two of them alone in the cell. Despite his absence, Scott wasn't naïve enough to believe that they were truly by themselves. A small red light in the corner of the room confirmed his belief that there was indeed a camera up there. He would be watching them, listening too for the slightest trip up which could potentially give him the information that he seemed to so desperately to want, if not need. Even with that knowledge in mind, the man's absence was calming. It allowed him to breathe somewhat easier in the knowledge that another shock wasn't just around the corner.

His attention drifted over to his friend. It pained him to look at her but knew that he couldn't possibly ignore her. The young woman's head was back to hanging lowly but it was clear that she was still conscious. He could hear her sobs as she struggled to keep control and desperately tried to hold back tears brought on by a mixture of pain, humiliation and a feeling of complete and utter powerlessness. More than once, he tried to speak, even going so far as to open his mouth. Something prevented him from even uttering the beginning of a syllable. What could he possibly say. His own face was wet with tears of its own and given what had just happened, he didn't feel that he had right to say anything to Kayo. Actions would no doubt speak louder than words. All he found himself wanting to do was go over to her and hold her close. Tell her that it was over now and that she was safe… A set of steel chains reminded him however that it was far from over.

"Make me a promise..."

"What?" He perked up somewhat, surprised that Kayo was still in a state to be speaking.

"If we get out of this. Let me kill him..."

There was a part of the young man which wanted to tell her very clearly that that was out of the question. International Rescue and its operatives never took a life. It had been something they had agreed to with Colonel Casey when they had set up the organisation. A golden rule of sorts, they were unarmed and they didn't kill. Saving lives was their only job. His father would have had a heart attack if he had heard the request, especially coming from a young woman he had known since childhood but then he'd never seen her like this, pushed to the very limit of her endurance to protect those that she loved. He felt himself shake slightly, his own morals wavering as the rage and injustice of it all seemed to build up.

"It's okay… I won't try to stop you..."

She didn't reply. He hadn't been expecting one. Instead, he closed his eyes, trying his best to keep his wits about him and to avoid lingering too much on the situation. It would be easy to fall into despair right now. Instead, he closed his eyes, silently praying that out there somewhere, his brothers might be readying their rescue.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: Thanks for telling me about the chapter. No idea what happened. The site was a little buggy last night when I tried to upload. Oh well, here's hoping this one's okay. Thanks again for the reviews!**

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The battle counsel was well and truly in session. The brothers who had been sleeping had been awoken, those who were simply resting were gathered. The refugees trapped on the island had gathered around a fire, contemplating a series of holograms which were being projected curtsey of MAX. The robot sat there diligently, showing the various scans and images which John had been able to either generate through Thunderbird 5 or access by hacking into GDF files.

For the past half hour or so they had been debating all things to do with strategy. It had become very clear that it wouldn't be as easy as charging in there and rescuing their captured allies as tempting as the idea was. All of their instincts demanded that they storm in there, guns blazing (metaphorically) and got them out. All of them however were acutely aware that it wasn't possible. Even if the Mechanic wasn't aware that they knew where he was, that didn't mean that he wouldn't be prepared for a potential attack be it from International Rescue or the GDF. Their past encounters with him had made them anything but confident. Without their head of security, they were at a disadvantage. Usually, Kayo could be counted on for infiltration and sneaking around. She possessed a rare instinct that they desperately needed right now.

In the back of their minds, was the silent countdown to their location being uncovered and perhaps more worrying, Scott and Kayo's demise. Nobody had really thought to challenge the Hood's earlier statement. All of them knew that he was right. The longer the Mechanic's enemies stayed alive, the more danger they posed and the greater the chances that they would find a way to stop him. It worked both ways. Whilst they might have been in a panicked race to try and save their loved ones. He must have known that would make them both desperate and ferocious. Making them all the more likely to try and stand up to him. No doubt he would have doubled his efforts to try and locate them as well.

Now that they had the criminal's location, it did give them some hope, allowing them to no longer feel like they were running in the dark. That being said, a former military bunker in the middle of the Canadian rainforest was hardly an ideal place for him to be holding up from their perspective. As Alan had pointed out, pretty much the only good thing about it was that they didn't have to worry about any local inhabitants who could potentially get caught in the crossfire. Asides from that, it had only taken a few minutes for the group to realize that the Mechanic's chosen hideout was going to be a nightmare to try and infiltrate. It had been specifically designed to be able to both resist enemy attacks and ensure that nobody could sneak in. Two traits which now posed a significant problem to the former allies of those who had built it in the first place. John was busy trying to access other schematics to find a way to enter other than the front door or drilling in with the mole.

Gordon shifted the sand under his feet with his shoe. It was something of a nervous tick he had developed on the island. A mindless action which served to ease some of the restlessness which was commanding him to get to his feet, climb into his Thunderbird and mount some form of rescue. Instead, he forced himself to remain seated, to try and maintain some semblance of calm in the face of what was going on. His eyes rested on the schematics as he listened carefully to what was being said, desperately trying to think of something which might have been eluding his companions.

It seemed as if things were grinding along so slowly that they might never find a solution. It didn't help that there was no water even remotely nearby. He would be quite literally out of his element there. That didn't mean that he didn't intend to help. Far from it, his family would struggle to keep him away. Like all of them, he wanted to get even with the man who had done so much harm to those he loved. He wanted to be there and see with his own two eyes the Mechanic being dragged away to be locked up for the rest of his days. That was something he would buy tickets for if they were sold. In short, there was no way that he was going to allow himself to be sidelined for this particular mission.

Braisn frowned contemplating the schematics for the building. They were still focusing on just how to get into the place to begin with:

"Built like a fortress..." Parker's eyed flickered over the schematics only briefly. "It'll be a nightmare to crack."

"Can't we just surround him?" Alan remained optimistic but there was a clear hint of confusion in his voice. "Now that we know where he is… If we corner him-"

"No!" The Hood spoke up suddenly drawing all attention to himself. "That's the last thing you want to do!"

"Explain yourself..." Grandma Tracy managed somehow to remain calm despite the outburst.

"As it stands, the man effectively has three hostages." Kyrano seemed to speak on his brother's behalf. "Tanusha, Scott and whoever he chooses to point his satellite at. He'll hide behind them."

Alan nodded slowly, understanding the issue. Their captured friend and brother made for perfect shields. That was to say nothing of project Sentinel. There was a reason after all why the GDF were following his orders without question. It took a lot to strong-arm colonel Casey into doing anything. It wasn't just two lives which were currently under threat but potentially thousands. Virgil liked to think that there was a world of difference between taking one or even two lives of someone's enemies and being willing to flatten a city and potentially murder thousands if not millions of innocents. He wasn't however naïve enough to assume that those currently following his orders hadn't already thought of that. They must have weighed up the options and concluded that there was a very real risk of him pressing the button…

Despite the silence which spoke of everyone understanding just what Kyrano had said, the man's brother shifted slightly. It was apparent that he still had something else to say but was hesitating. Finally, with a shake if his head, he seemed to decide to go for it. Regardless of the consequences and if he rubbed people up the wrong way or not:

"Catch him at the wrong moment and he will kill one of them to show that he means business, and will use the other as a shield." The man left a brief pause before adding in a cold voice. "It's what I would do."

Virgil felt his stomach turn. He was about as comfortable as the rest of his family at having the Hood on the same patch of dirt as them. He knew it was necessary. After all, if it weren't for him they wouldn't have Penny, Parker and Kyrano with them and likely wouldn't have been able to get their hands on the data which Kayo and Scott had managed to acquire. Despite his actions, which Virgil knew to be self-serving, there was still no forgetting what he had done and put them through before. The man had putting the lives of innocents in danger for his own selfish reasons countless times before, put their lives in danger when he tried to steal their Thunderbirds and shown a total disregard for human life in general. He had murdered Jeff Tracy, their father… In other circumstances, they would no doubt have tried to lock him up and handed him over to the GDF. If they were feeling generous that was…

Just why the man felt obliged to remind them that he was a villain was beyond the second eldest brother. It seemed to be asking for trouble. Maybe, he reasoned, he was just reminding them how harsh the world could be and how merciless some of its inhabitants were. Perhaps out of all of them, he was the one who understood the most what his niece and their brother would be going through right now. If only because he would have inflicted it on them himself if things were a little different. It was a painful reminder for all of them that their captive family members likely weren't enjoying themselves whilst they sat around planning. Not that there was much choice of they wanted to avoid being captured in turn.

Virgil scratched his chin, contemplating the problem. They had all been hoping that things would become simpler once they knew their enemy's location, not more complicated. Gordon running a hand through his hair, decided to sum up the situation:

"So basically… We need to rescue Scott and Kayo first, then find wherever Sentinel is, deactivate or destroy it, then stop the Mechanic all without him knowing we're there?"

"I thought that International Rescue was up for any challenge?" There was a dark mockery behind the man's words.

Grandma reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. The second youngest brother turned to look at her. It was obvious that he was struggling to hold back a snide remark of one form or another, perhaps even a fully blown insult. The elder woman shook her head negatively. They couldn't afford to start arguing and fighting amongst themselves, no matter how tempting it might be and no matter how much the undesirable company seemed to taunt them. As they had already concluded more than once, time was not on their side. Distractions right now could potentially prove to be fatal. Reluctantly, Gordon let out a frustrated sigh, turning back to the fire and ignoring the remark from their family's old enemy.

John ran a few more simulations on board of Thunderbird 5. He had ran them – or at least similar ones – before and as such was fully prepared for the results. Still, he carried out the same old scans, hoping against hope to get a different result. When he didn't, he let out a defeated sigh:

"FAB 1 and Thunderbirds will be spotted before we've even crossed the border."

"N-Not all of them..."

Brains drew their attention back to him. The genius had been rather quiet during the little brainstorming session that they had been having. Granted, infiltration and covert operations weren't quite his speciality and stranded out here, he had been cut off from much of the technology and gadgets that he usually used and relied on. Still, he looked decidedly optimistic as he got to his feet, walking over to MAX so as to be able to study the plan in a little more detail and from closer up. He did so carefully before turning back to them.

"Thunderbird S could do it."

"Isn't it out of action?" Lady Penelope frowned slightly, still holding Sherbert on her lap.

"Low on gas. At least that's what Kayo said..." Virgil slowly felt he was beginning to see where this was going. "But Thunderbird 1 was damaged… You think we could siphon the fuel?"

"There's no reason why not. Thunderbird S would be perfect for sneaking in." The man cleaned the rim of his glasses using his shirt.

"And with Kayo locked up, he won't be expecting it!" Alan once more regained some enthusiasm.

The beginnings of a plan. Thunderbird S was their stealth vehicle after all. It had practically been designed with this sort of thing in mind and was therefore perfect for the task. Scott and Kayo had told them about what had happened after they had been forced to scatter. Together, they had had little choice but to abandon their crafts. The alternative being to slowly waste away in the desert sun. According to the head of security's report however, there was no reason why with some refuelling they couldn't fly her ship.

Virgil thought it through carefully. From a technical feasibility point of view, there was almost no problem. It should have been relatively simple to transfer the fuel from one ship to another. A slight concern was that none of them had ever flown Shadow before, its pilot using it on a daily basis for patrols and being rather protective of it. That and from his point of view, it felt like the cockpit might be somewhat snug. Despite those two little snags, he remained confident. Brains had ensured that the Thunderbirds were relatively intuitive to fly, specifically for situations like this. They had all been briefed in one way or another about how to fly them. Some caution would be required but they should have been okay. There was another issue however, far more problematic. He wasn't alone in spotting it, as John declared only a few seconds later:

"The problem is… Thunderbird S only carries one."

"If we had Kayo, it would be a no brainer." Grandma let out a sigh before looking to her grandsons and Lady Penelope and Parker. "We need someone to sneak in there quietly..."

"How about you Kyrano?" Gordon's question caused the man to turn to face them.

"I wish I could…" The man pulled up his trouser leg to reveal his injury. "But like this I fear I wouldn't be up to the task."

There was no denying that the wound looked painful. He could still walk, that much was evident. As was the pain he was in. Whilst it might not actually be agony, he was certainly in no state to be charging around a base in a panic whilst also trying to remain stealthy. A shame, up until his daughter had taken over, Kyrano had always been the one they counted all for all things covert and to do with protecting them. There was no ignoring his injury however which naturally only meant that they were going to have to find an alternative somewhere. They could probably count out those trapped on board Thunderbird 5, being able to enter the atmosphere without anybody noticing was unlikely to say the least. That left the little group stuck on the island as potential candidates for the mission.

Perhaps something which could be dealt with later. They had the Mechanic's location and a way to reach him without being spotted. There was still a lot left to figure out. The rescue in itself shouldn't be all that complicated. By studying the schematics, John had already been able to locate where the cells had once been. It was a reasonable assumption that their enemy would simply be reusing the facilities on offer as oppose to trying to redesign the base. They knew where to look. That could potentially buy them some precious minutes.

"We've still got to figure out how to stop Sentinel." Grandma raised her gaze towards the night's sky.

"I m-might have a solution for that a-as well." Once more, all eyes turned towards the resident genius. "If you can get me access to the Mechanic's computers, I should be able to locate project Sentinel."

"We might not even have to do that..." John turned his attention to the lens of Thunderbird 5's resident AI. "EOS, if we get you a link to Sentinel you could block out the Mechanic, right?"

"Yes… I think so."

There was something of a feeling of relief which came over them. They were far from out of the woods, that much was beyond a doubt. Still, a plan seemed to bring some sense of stability. Up until then it had been like stumbling in the dark, desperately trying to find their way. There was a feeling that they might very well be able to make it out of the dangerous situation which they had managed to get into. They could do it. They could rescue Scott and Kayo and save the world from the laser which had been looming in the stars above them for days now. There was a lot which could go wrong, they were all aware of that fact. Now though, there did seem to be some light at the end of the very long and dark tunnel.

"After we've freed Scott and Kayo and have deactivated Sentinel, we can bring in the other Thunderbirds."

Virgil showed them on the layout where they could potentially land to make a quick extraction of the prisoners and/or to provide rapid assistance. The main issue they would encounter was that they would have to wait quite some time for a rescue to arrive if they needed it. A worry but something which they could do very little about. There was no doubting that they would have to take some serious risks. Without them, it was inconceivable that they would be able to save their family and accomplish all of the other tasks. Whoever went in Thunderbird S would be the one in the most danger, after the prisoners that was. It wouldn't take much for the Mechanic to panic and kill them and he would certainly show no mercy if he caught one of them sneaking around his base.

The next question seemed to be just who would they send? Those in space would never be able to sneak back onto the planet's surface without being noticed, instantly disqualifying them. Besides, they may very well need their assistance to deactivate/potentially destroy project Sentinel. That left those on the island. Kyrano was out of action. Grandma realistically too old. Brains not qualified. Virgil and Gordon were enthusiastic volunteers and both Penelope and Parker were more than willing to go. There was something of an argument. Nobody wanting to let the other go for fear of something happening to them. Ironically, that itself was slowing everything down, a fact which Grandma was only too eager to remind them.

"John..."

"Yes, EOS?" For reasons unknown, the AI almost always addressed him rather than anyone else.

"There's a signal being broadcast worldwide. It's from the Mechanic."

"Patch it through!"

All their discussions and debates ceased instantly. All of their attention was snatched away from everything else which had been distracting them. Panic began to fill them as well as a sense of dread. It was unlikely that their enemy would be making a public statement on television would be good news. Given that he currently had two of their own as his prisoners, there was a part of them which instinctively feared the worse. Nobody had forgotten about their enemy. His looming shadow was rather inescapable, always present hanging just over them with a terrifying chill.

It didn't take all that long for a mixture of EOS and MAX to manage to establish a safe link to the broadcast. It was hard to miss given that it seemed to be on all channels worldwide. The group had been expecting to be greeted with the face of their enemy. Instead, there was simply a GDF logo with the words "Standing by" underneath it. It lingered for quite some time, only after a couple of minutes did John dare to ask his AI if she was certain that she was correct. She assured them that it was a message from the Mechanic, the announcer had said as much before this image had appeared however and that it was simply still to play. No doubt he was giving them enough time to be able to watch. He wanted them to hear what he had to say. Whether it was live or recorded, it didn't really matter, the apprehension was the same as they waited.

Seconds felt as if they were minutes and minutes swiftly became hours in their minds. The worst possible scenarios occurred to them. It was impossible for them not to unintentionally think them up. Sensing his grandmother's distress, Virgil reached out taking her hand in his own. Gently, aware that he was probably capable of crushing the bones in her hand but none-the-less firm to ensure that she knew she wasn't alone. She gave him a grateful but shallow smile. She, like him, must have known this wouldn't be good news. One day, he told himself was too soon for either Scott or Kayo to have caved in. Even the Hood had given them a little longer and they knew they could trust him to be brutally honest and not to sugar coat anything. Not to mention, their enemy probably wouldn't have been polite enough to inform them that he knew where they was and was coming for them. He would want it to be a surprise…The alternative was that despite what Tanusha's uncle had told them the day before, he had simply killed his prisoners and was about to gloat about it. The second eldest brother screwed his eyes shut, trying not to linger on that particular possibility.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity. The image changed abruptly to display the face of their enemy. It caused a mixture of rage and fear to form up inside of those who lay eyes upon him. He was cold and left no doubt as to the fact that he felt as if everything was under his control. His brown eyes looked straight through the camera, almost as if he was staring right at them. An unpleasant illusion, one which only inspired yet more uneasiness on the part of those on the other end of the lens. No doubt it was the intention: to intimidate his enemies. Presumably, thousands if not millions of people worldwide were currently being treated to the same experience. The man spoke, his voice was cold, disdainful, that of someone who had already won:

"International Rescue. I know that you are out there watching. I have a message. You are aware that Scott Tracy and Tanusha Kyrano are my captives. I will kill the girl at eleven tonight east coast time. Your brother will follow an hour later. Unless you surrender before then. To do so, I suggest you contact the GDF of your own accord. The timer will stop when you are in their custody. I look forwards to hearing from you..."

He disappeared a second later. His message was too short to really allow them to reflect upon its implications. It was only in the moments afterwards that it slowly began to dawn on them that they had a very real time limit. One very quickly approaching in fact… Somehow, they had all been expecting to have a little longer to think about things. Not that they weren't already rushing things as much as they could given that they were aware that their loved ones were at the mercy of a man who had very little. This had never been a matter of taking their time. Still, John felt himself slowly begin to develop a cold sweat as a mixture of panic and terror began to settle in.

"How- How long does that give us?" Ridley struggled to do so much as speak.

"Four and a half hours..." Alan did the maths quickly in his head. "Four and a half hours..."

Still, despite knowing that, nobody dared move. A paralysis routed them to the spot. Each of them thinking just about the same thing: that wasn't enough time…


	18. Chapter 18

**_Author's note: Hi! Thanks for the reviews. I enabled PMs after the formatting issue, although I'm hoping there won't be another one. No idea why but every time I post a new chapter it seems to go funny... Oh well, I think I fixed it this time._**

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The fuel just wasn't quite transferring quickly enough. It felt like only a couple of drops was flowing through the pipe which Virgil was watching intently. It took all of his self-control and restraint to avoid fiddling with it, a process which would almost certainly cause the fuel transfer to cease. They couldn't afford even the slightest delay. So he forced himself to be content with looking and not touching. An irritated and heavy sigh escaped him despite himself. There was an old saying his grandma had often used (especially with Scott) which had something to do with a watched pot never boiling… He figured that transferring fuel must have been rather similar in one way or another. Folding his arms across his chest, the second eldest of the brothers tried to keep his urge to fiddle at bay.

In order to do so, he cast his eyes around the dirty old shed. They had found a fair amount of leftover traces from Scott and Kayo's visit: old cans, bags, beer bottles… Something which had raised a little more concern had been the swabs of cotton and gauzes coated in blood and the splatters of the same substance which could be found on the floor and even inside of Thunderbird 1's cabin. It had taken them a few seconds to recall that the craft's pilot had indeed been injured during his initial frantic escape from the GDF. A "graze" he had called it. There was enough evidence here to support Virgil's initial theory that that had been something of a gross understatement to avoid them from panicking. He guessed that his brother had been rather played down the seriousness of what had happened. There was no denying that he would have required some medical assistance. Presumably, the head of security had been the one to oblige… It was too late to worry about it now. He suspected they both had bigger issues to deal with at the moment.

In the corner, Gordon was busy running some checks and ensuring that Thunderbird S was still okay to fly. Asides a few scratches (something which Brains would presumably have complained about in other circumstances), the craft seemed to be pretty much intact. He was mainly just checking the systems. Kayo had been very thorough when it came to ensuring that her craft couldn't possibly be discovered, going so far as to tear the battery out. They'd reinstalled it and booted up the systems once more. John was busy on board of the space station ensuring that any and every signal from the ship was masked.

For at least the twentieth time since arriving, Virgil found himself checking his watch. They had run the calculations, he knew exactly how much time they had. Even one minute too late leaving and they wouldn't make it. It didn't seem to matter that Brains had taken how long it would take to refuel Thunderbird S into account and that this was all part of it. To the second eldest brother, it still seemed like it was too slow. He knew exactly what the minimum amount of fuel was that would allow them to fly Thunderbird S to Canada whilst leaving them with enough to make a quick enough getaway to put a safe distance between themselves and the base if required. It had been calculated to the quarter of the gallon. They wouldn't be flying with a full tank, filling it completely would eat into precious minutes of their time. It was a risk. This all was. Usually, he was much fonder of having a fall-back position, a contingency plan and built-in leeway should something go wrong. As it was however, all three of those were now completely impossible.

A brief glance towards his sibling confirmed that neither of them were comfortable with this. It was so far removed from the way which International Rescue usually worked that it made both their skin crawl and lead to an uncommon amount of anxiety for them. They had all been risking their lives for some years now. The whole family had. It was something of a status quo. Yet for the life of him, Virgil couldn't record ever being as constantly terrified as he had been these past few days. It was a sensation which had naturally only become worse since they had learned of the capture of some of their own. There was the uncertainty of not knowing what had been done to them, what they were currently enduring and up until an hour ago what they were yet to face. Now that they knew, it wasn't any better.

He hated waiting. He knew that there was about four minutes of it still to be done but that couldn't be avoided. Still, he found himself checking his watch every two seconds trying to see if by some miracle, three might have passed.

Gordon came over. His work was done and now he too was reaching the anxious point of his eyes becoming fixed solely on the seconds trickling by on his digital watch. To his credit, he remained quiet. Some might have been nagging, demanding to know if there was any way to make things move along faster. He didn't. Understanding the situation enough to know that not only would it be unproductive but it would only make the situation worse. It was quite rare for him but right now, Virgil felt as if his temper could flare quite easily. Finally, he dared to speak. Finding the silence unbearable:

"How's our pilot?"

"Getting acquainted with the controls." Gordon paused glancing over towards the ship.

There was something else on his mind. Something he couldn't express… The aquanaut looked around nervously, as if he feared someone somewhere might be listening in. He knew full-well who was down there with him. With Parker mounting guard outside, they couldn't be taken by surprise. Still, the second eldest brother got the distinct feeling that he already knew just what this was going to be about. Finally, after about ten seconds of anxious looking around. Gordon seemingly judged the coast to be clear enough for his liking, he came a little closer so as to be able to practically whisper into his brother's ear. Virgil was forced to lower his head slightly, tilting it to one side to be able to hear:

"You sure about this? Feels like this could be the worst mistake we ever make..."

"I know and no, I'm not..." A heavy and rather shaky sigh escaped his lips as he stood there. "But it's the only chance Scott and Kayo have."

"Yeah but…" He stopped himself, the urge to argue suddenly abandoning him. "Virg… If we mess up. If we're even a minute late..."

None of them wanted to think about what would happen if… Virgil was struggling to banish those thoughts from his mind entirely. They would make it. They always did and always would. It was inconceivable that they would fail, especially when it involved rescuing some of their own. This time tomorrow, they would all be reunited and laughing about it… That was what he struggled to tell himself. No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, there was still a sprinkling of doubt. It was like an inch he couldn't scratch, nagging at the back of his mind, whispering terrible scenarios to him. _Be strong_ , he kept on telling himself. They all had to be strong right now if they wanted to avoid falling apart.

"We won't be."

"Yeah… We won't be."

It wasn't much. He doubted either of them were all that convinced by their own lie or anyone else's. It allowed them to keep on going however until Thunderbird S had as much fuel as it would need. Instantly and seamlessly they moved onto the next part of the preparations.

On board Thunderbird 5, John watched the progress with uncertainty. He could see the counter going down. The GDF had been kind enough to broadcast a live countdown. He'd had the unpleasant luxury of being able to watch the seconds trickling away, knowing what would be waiting at the end of them. There was precious little for him to do high above Earth. Alan was preparing Thunderbird 3. He was actually sitting in the cockpit just waiting to be given the order to go, such was the time constraint which they were currently under. When the time came for him to move, the chances were that he would have to do so immediately. Having to float through Thunderbird 5 would cost him time.

Ridley was nearby, waiting, with her heart in her mouth. She turned to John, hesitating slightly. It was all to do with timing. Whilst they were aware that time was of the essence, they equally couldn't move too quickly. That could cost them just as much. Grumbling slightly with indecision, he called up his siblings eager to see just what stage they were at and if he could proceed with his part of the task:

"Is Thunderbird S refuelled?"

"FAB John. You're free to proceed." Gordon was the one to answer.

He nodded slowly before signing off. The next minute he spent ensuring that he had cut all communications and links with the group in the American desert. The last thing they wanted was for the Mechanic or the GDF to trace their position. That would mean that the game was up before it had even begun. Acting quickly, he brought up the GDF's central base and set about contacting them. Despite the nature of his call, he took care to ensuring that his signal was masked and couldn't immediately be traced back to Thunderbird 5 or any of the rest of his family. Despite everything, he found himself hesitating slightly. Once the call was made, there was no going back. He gave Ridley, the only other human being nearby a brief glance. She nodded slowly, not only giving her approval but telling him to go ahead and do it.

With a deep breath, John pushed the button. He did so as quickly as possible, not giving himself any more time to ponder the matter or to doubt.

The call went through for a few seconds before John noticed it being rerouted. No doubt they knew who was calling and had decided to patch them through to someone higher up. John could only hope that it was the one- He didn't have enough time to finish thinking before the face of Colonel Casey popped up on the screen. The space monitor let out an internal sigh of relief as he recognized her. Whilst she might have her faults, she was familiar and there was something to be said about knowing where you stood with someone at a time like this. Not that he was glad to see her given the circumstances… A better way of putting it would have been to say that if he had to deal with anyone right now, he was glad that it was her.

It struck him however that she looked truly awful. Drawn and with bags under her eyes, she could have not slept for a week. Naturally, they had wondered about the colonel. It had come up a few times in their discussions. Despite everything, they had always felt sorry for her. Aware that this wasn't something she had ever asked for and that it must have been hurting her. They'd witnessed the defeated and agonized look in her eyes which she'd tried her best to hide as she had been forced to lead a tied and bound Scott and Kayo to what very well might have been their deaths. Just what that did to a person, even one as strong as their godmother he dreaded to imagine. She didn't look surprised to see him, just tired, exhausted.

"John..." His name simply slipped off of her tongue allowing him to pick up on some hints of despair.

"Colonel… You know why I'm calling you."

The woman didn't answer. She averted her gaze to somewhere down on her desk. She knew alright. He could tell that she had been hoping against hope that she wouldn't get the call. That her remaining godchildren and the rest of their family would remain in hiding or come up with some sort of super plan to rescue their loved ones. A pipe dream, the space monitor was sure that she had known that. There was a silence which lasted a few moments. He could tell that they were triangulating his position yet he made no attempt to stop them. There was a strange form of understanding between the two of them, each of them knowing what the finality of their exchange would be.

"Damn it all…" The Colonel's sudden aggression took him off-guard. She looked around continuing to speak in little more than a whisper. "Even if you hand yourselves in. He's not going to let them live."

"We'd sort of figured that one..." It was hard to conceive the man who had already done so much would be so generous as to let their family members live. "-but we've got to try something. We can't just let them die."

The sigh she let out gave him the feeling that she had been expecting as much. To some, it might have seemed to be an illogical decision. Perhaps they might have said that they should have "cut their loses" to use a business term. Accept that Scott and Kayo were lost. It was harsh but maybe the only way to protect the rest of their family, especially the 14 year old who was a part of this. Either that or they should have charged in, risking everything to save those whom they cared so dearly about. Handing themselves over seemed like a definite failure. It was the one option which had no obvious advantages, only a terrible loss. She didn't challenge him however, remaining silent apparently accepting what they both knew a surrender would mean.

Her eyes flickered down to a corner of the screen. He saw the concern flash across her features. Instantly, her expression changed. It became stern and harsh, leaving little room for emotion. He was able to guess what it was before she even spoke:

"The Mechanic wants to speak with you..."

A second later, the Colonel's familiar features vanished replaced with the harsh ones of their enemy. John struggled to maintain his cool and avoid backing away. He tried his best to channel his anger into his eyes and let the man know just how much he loathed him. John didn't like to think of himself as an angry man. He fancied that his blood was a lot cooler than that of Scott, Gordon or Kayo. Sure, he might from time to time get frustrated by the numerous obstacles which he was confronted with but he seldom hated… Yet right now, faced with this stranger, he found himself truly enraged by the Mechanic. Hopefully it showed.

"So… You've finally decided to call it a day?"

"You haven't given us much of a choice." Was all the middle brother could think to snap back.

"I just wanted to tell you not to try any tricks. If you want your brother and Kyrano to live!"

"Give us proof!"

The man looked puzzled, as it had to be said was Ridley. They had gone over all of the possibilities. Discussing seemingly endlessly eventualities whilst FAB 1 travelled to the desert safe house. A fair few of those had had to do with just how to react and what to say if the Mechanic decided to speak with them personally. At no point had making demands come into question. Right now however, John felt like making some. It was futile, he was aware of that but sometimes a little rush of blood to the head he found could do a world of good and he was feeling decidedly daring given that they had comparatively little to lose.

"What?" It was confusion more than anything that marked the man's voice, apparently unsure what he meant.

"Prove that Scott and Kayo are still alive!"

"You think you're in a position to make demands?" The disdain was obvious.

"Is that a _'no'_?" John forced himself to remain brave.

"Wait five minutes..."

The man disappeared a moment later or rather the screen went black. The connection was still open. Despite that knowledge, John risked letting out a brief sigh. He hated the feeling which gripped him every time he came face to face with the Mechanic. There was some form of terror which seemed to take hold. A very primal instinct which told him he was in danger. The miles between them didn't seem to make any difference. There was something about being subjected to their enemy's gaze which made his stomach turn and his hair stand on end. Probably self-preservation, he knew like they all did just what the man was capable of and it scared him. The space monitor took advantage of the few seconds respite to try and calm himself. His heart had been thumping in his chest the whole time and yet for some reason it was only now that he noticed.

Ridley floated over next to him. He could see the look on her face. It was one of perplexity. He was grateful that she hadn't interrupted him. Now that their foe was no longer listening – or at least didn't appear to be – she wanted some answers.

"What was all that about?"

"Buying time..."

The longer they could keep the Mechanic from wondering just what they were playing at the better. If that meant distracting him, then so be it. He doubted that the man was going to check if his concern for his brother and semi-adopted sister was real, which it was. He would want all of this over and done with as soon as possible. In all likelihood, it wouldn't buy them more than ten minutes top. Those ten minutes could potentially make all the difference however. Ridley didn't question him any more, presumably understanding his intention. In a strange way, he was almost beginning to regret his request. It wasn't the buying them some time which bothered him so much as the knowledge that the only way which their enemy could really prove that his captives were alive was to allow them to talk to them for a moment or at least to show them a video of them alive.

A part of him dreaded what he might discover. They had been captives for quite some time now. The Hood hadn't been too graphic but he had allowed them to imagine some of things which they might have had to endure. It was enough to make the middle brother hesitate slightly, fear gripping him suddenly as the screen back online.

Although he had tried to prepare himself. Seeing his brother's face still came as something of a shock. He had thought that Casey looked bad. She was positively radiant compared to Scott. The man was dealthly pale. His eyes wide and panicked. His face was rather dirty. His stumble had grown into something of a beard proper and his hair, usually so carefully slicked backwards and groomed was a mess. Still, it was his eyes which John found impossible to ignore. In themselves, they were fine, no traces of violence such as a bruise. They were however somewhat red, as if he had been crying. The marks down his cheeks, like little rivers cutting through the dirt seemed to support that theory. More than that however, there was true horror behind them almost as if they were concealing a scream.

"No! John! You can't!" The Mechanic must have given them some form of debriefing about the situation as he found his brother to already be frantic. "Please!"

"Proof enough that they're alive?" Their captor remained unmoved by the pleas.

"Wh-What about Kayo?" He took a deep breath trying to keep himself together.

"You might not get so much out of her." Scott's attention travelled elsewhere, resting one something else.

"She- She's alive..."

Scott chose to answer. Conforming John's initial fear that he really didn't want to know what had been done to them. He couldn't have sworn to it but he thought that he might have been able to make out some vague groaning in the background. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be Kayo or not. Whatever the case, their allotted talking time seemed to be up as Scott's face disappeared to be replaced with the Mechanic's. There was no kindness or compassion behind his eyes. Instantly, John knew that it was pointless even attempting to negotiate with him. In the current situation, whether they liked it or not, he was calling all of the shots.

"You know what you have to do. I suggest you get to it."

The Mechanic severed the connection, leaving no more room for debate or demands. He would let Colonel Casey deal with the logistics for a few minutes. He allowed his attention to drift back over to the prisoners. He was rather disappointed with how much or rather how little he had been able to get to them. In retrospect, he should probably have ensured that the girl remained quiet and didn't communicate with her friend. She'd proven to be a decidedly tough and stubborn nut to crack. By the looks of things however the beatings and drugs were beginning to take their toll. She hung in her restraints loosely, barely even able to raise her head. The eldest of the brothers posed little more of a threat. Sitting there, in chains, defeated; the man imagined that in a few hours his spirit would be completely broken.

"I'll let you two watch the show…"

It wouldn't be televised of course but he was going to insist that the GDF provided him with a live feed. He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip past him by allowing his enemies to band together. Today, they would cease to be a problem altogether. He did still have a few loose end to tie up however before he could consider himself victorious.

Casey sat quietly in her office. It was over. The boys or rather what was left of them were surrendering. Jeff Tracy's dream was in tatters. Worse, his family would likely be wiped out. That would have hurt him a thousand times more. Sitting in her chair, she ran things through her mind. The time and place they were to hand themselves over, the Mechanics instructions… Try as she might – and she was pouring her everything into it – she couldn't conceive of a way out of this for any of them. Every possible escape seemed to be blocked and those which weren't were too dangerous for her to even contemplate. She found herself regretting not joining the family when this had all began. It would have spared her the heartache she found herself in right now.

She wasn't all that surprised to find that the Mechanic still had something to say. His face lingered on the screen, waiting surprisingly patiently for her to speak. She tried her best to ignore him, to block the man off and show him some of the contempt he deserved. She couldn't though. That wasn't the sort of liberty which she had right now. Slowly, she turned to face the man who had brought International Rescue to its knees. The colonel would have liked to look angry, furious to be able to challenge him, even if it was simply through a glare but right now, she found herself simply feeling tired, too exhausted to even contemplate soldiering on. Finally, when he was sure he was certain that he had her full attention, he declared:

"You're to kill all of them when I give you the signal."

She didn't respond. It was a scenario she had rather been expecting. The man already had two prisoners, he didn't need half a dozen others. She would spare the tears for later when nobody but her could bear witness to them. Instead, the Colonel simply nodded, making no attempt to shield her contempt or hatred from him. Just why he had decided that she was the woman to preform this tasks was beyond her. Initially, she had believed that it was to try and prove some sort of sick point but now, she felt that it was because he knew full well that regardless of what happened, she would carry out the orders given to her. At the end of the day, she had very little other choice. She waited, hoping that he might be finished toying with her for the time being…

"Oh… One last thing Colonel."

"Go to Hell..." It was a grumble, the last piece of defiance she could muster.

"Maybe one day..." His voice trailed off for a moment before he continued. "Until then, I would hate to have to waste your men's resources by making yourself the target of the next manhunt. Deal with it once you've finished with the Tracys and their friends. I don't particularly care how..."

"That..." She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Yet another request which came as anything but a surprise… "I can do."

Finally, the face of the man vanished leaving her alone. A single blip on a map highlighted the position of the family she had once sworn to protect… _God help them_... She thought to herself. A single tear making its way down her cheek.


	19. Chapter 19

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews. Every time I post a new chapter, it goes funny. So I have to edit the chapter and then re-upload it. I have no idea why. Is anyone else having this issue? Anyhow, here's looking forwards to the new series!_**

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A shadow moved quickly and silently through the sky above the forest. It was almost totally invisible, manifesting itself only as a shimmer. Not many would even notice it. It was a perfect craft for stealth. Silent and deadly… There were no weapons however which given the current mission that he found himself on was something of a shame. Still, the craft had potential. It had made it this far without being detected which was more than any other jet he knew of. There was no requirement to hack security systems, something which could potentially be detected, the ship was flying under all radars. He wished he understood how it all worked. Sadly, he didn't have the option of taking it all apart to see how it worked. On the bottom of the screen, the pilot's eyes kept on flickering back to a countdown.

He knew what it meant. They were playing with seconds. A few either way would mean death and almost certainly the victory of their foe. He held his breath as the bunker became visible. It was dark, seemingly dead. The concrete was overgrown and showed some signs of wear. It could have been lying abandoned for a hundred years. It was hard to imagine that anyone could possibly have been hiding out here. Hence what made it such a perfect shelter for a man currently holding the world to ransom. Despite that knowledge, he couldn't help but feel doubt begin to form in the pit of his stomach, inviting in fear. If somehow there had been a mistake. Even Brains could make them. After all, nobody was without flaw. One little mishap and it would mean complete and utter disaster.

He moved the controls carefully, shifting them gently as he brought the craft down quietly on the side of the construction. He went through the movements they had taught him, performing them as perfectly as possible. One false move and the Mechanic would most definitely know that he had an intruder. His fears had been without foundation as Thunderbird S landed as softly as a feather. Truly a marvel of engineering. The man slipped out of the cockpit, taking the little backpack of supplies he had been given. Its contents would no doubt prove to be essential in what was to come. Summoning her courage, he slipped out and walked as quietly as possible. Each step he took, he did so as if he was walking on egg shells. Eyes fell upon a small map, looking at the two rooms highlighted on it. He would have to move quickly.

Quickly, he entered the building through a small hatch towards the back of the bunker. In theory, nobody would be here. The Mechanic was a one many army but still very much one man. A small bracelet, he had been assured contained technology enough to mask his presence from both the security systems and any potential mechs. Naturally, they had been reluctant to tell him about how any of it worked. Typical… He was impressed however by how the doors just seemed to open by themselves, as if he possessed the magic password to force them to open themselves. The man slipped through silently.

He walked as quickly as possible but continued to force himself to remain alert. Despite the assurances that he had been given, he remained weary. At a time like this, the Mechanic would be prepared for a sneak attack of one type or another. That would likely make him a mixture of paranoid and far more unpredictable than he would rather have been. Not that the man was ever entirely predictable. As cold and calculating as he was, there was a spontaneity to some of his actions which occasionally bordered on the impulsive. He wasn't about to rule anything out as far as their enemy was concerned. It could potentially be a fatal mistake.

Still, as she found himself walking through the corridors. He found them to be surprisingly quiet. They weren't quite deserted but there most certainly wasn't the presence which he had been initially expecting. He found himself breathing a little easier, at least in terms of their enemies and the offensive force which could have been waiting there for him. There was still the counter in the back of his mind but he chose to ignore it. He had little choice to do anything else. Lingering on the seconds that were trickling away would only lead to him become increasingly panicked and therefore careless. Of course, it wasn't just one countdown. There was another more sinister one going on at the same time. At the end of it were a series of bullets destined for those still on the island and stranded on the space station high above Earth.

They were waiting. There was precious little else they could do. The GDF would be upon them in less than half and hour. After that, they would be fortunate if they had ten minutes before one way or another they were out of action. That would leave him alone and almost certainly doom the mission and potentially the world. It was enough to motivate the man not to linger.

FAB 1 had touched down just moments ago. It's occupants sat next to the rest of the family on the open of the beach, just as they had been instructed to do. The GDF had been rather clear with what was expected of those about to hand themselves over. No doubt their demands were largely being influenced by the Mechanic. The man would be weary of them and as such they weren't permitted to go anywhere near their respective crafts. They were to remain within sight. All of them, by the time that the soldiers got there, were to be easily visible and have their hands in the air. Any failure to comply would result in one of the prisoners being executed not that any of them would have considered starting up a fight with a large number of armed men. They sat in silence, eyes fixed upon the sky, seemingly resigned to their fate.

Up on board of the space station, John looked out into the depths of space, Ridley by his side. There were some crafts approaching. They couldn't quite see them yet but they knew that they were on their way. After all, they had been forced to give up their own location as well. It might take the GDF a little longer to scramble their men in space but they were coming. Their instructions were equally simple: no communications, not even to say "goodbye". All but the most basic functions of Thunderbird 5 had been turned off, leaving the craft as little more than a metallic shell floating through space.

The intruder didn't think of them much as he slipped through the building, a man on a mission. He had almost reached his destination, the two cells on the little map. There was still some hope. He checked his timings briefly and only just managed to muffle a curse which threatened to escape his lips. This was never going to be comfortable in terms of time. Still, he couldn't help but feel concern as he noticed just how quickly the seconds seemed to be trickling away. He forced himself to remain as calm as physically possible and not to start thinking about the worst possible scenarios. In many ways, he'd already started planning what he would do if he was too late. His best bet would be to flee back the way he came as fast as possible and to try and escape with Thunderbird S, no that he would have enough fuel to get very far… No doubt that was part of the plan, sending him here with little to no other choice but to rescue the prisoners or die trying.

He stopped suddenly, realizing that he was at the first of the cells. Just like the other doors he had encountered, it opened on its own accord. A torch was required for him to see inside. Even before he had turned it on however, he had a bad feeling. It was a sick sensation which formed in the pit of his stomach, the unwelcome knowledge that something was wrong. A brief glance was enough to confirm that the cell was indeed empty, there was however a bottle of water on the floor indicating that in all likelihood it had been occupied not all that long ago. The question was, where had its prisoner gotten off to? Turning to the one next to it, the man opened it in turn. Once more, he found it to be empty. He gave the cell a much faster glance through, simply skimming over its surface. There was nowhere to hide inside of it at any rate and others which needed checking. He tried another one, next to the first cell he had opened. This time, something drew his attention. It was some marks in the dirt, as if something heavy had been dragged along, something or someone…

Crouching down, the man chose to examine them a little more closely. There was some discolouration on the floor. It took him a moment to realize that it was actually blood stains. One of the prisoners was hurt. He followed the trail back inside for a moment. Most of it was just the odd splatter or drip but there was a larger quantity in the corner of the room, even a little bit against the wall. There wasn't enough there for him to worry about whether or not the person it belonged to was still alive, most likely it was the result of a minor injury. The question remained however whether they had been bleeding and thrown into the cell or hurt inside and then dragged out. Given the absence of an occupant, he was going to assume that it was the second possibility. Which meant that they were some place else… This wasn't something they had taken into account.

John had said that on balance, Scott and Kayo were likely being held together. Whilst he hadn't seen the latter, his brother had informed him that she was still alive, albeit not in a condition to talk according to the Mechanic. That meant this blood was most likely that of Tanusha… A familiar cold anger took a hold of him causing his to clench his hands tightly forming a set of fists. Moving quickly, spurred on by the murderous rage which coursed through his veins, the man followed the somewhat sinister trail. Trusting that it would lead him to the two captives and, a part of him hoped, their captor. It would be nice to be able to get some vengeance… Checking his watch, he sped up, abandoning caution as he broke into a run using his light to keep track of the liquid and marks in the dirt.

Back on the island, the GDF ships had come into view. No less than three carriers were on their way, no doubt all full of soldiers hand picked by Colonel Casey or her superiors who knew they could be counted on to do their job no matter what. Virgil got to his feet as he watched them approach but otherwise didn't react. He squinted, shading his eyes from the sun as he contemplated the dots on the horizon slowly coming closer. They probably realistically had about five minutes before they could expect to have some company. He turned back to his family, they were sitting down on the rocks. A silence hung in the air. Nobody had dared to speak since they had arrived back at the safe house. Instead, they had done exactly as they had been told. Despite everything, an odd sort of serenity seemed to have settled in. The second eldest brother offered his loved ones a faint smile which they managed to return. It was about all that any of them could do right now.

In space, the GDF were also approaching quickly. No doubt they wanted both their arrivals to roughly coincide. It would prevent the risk of either of the two groups getting cold feet and trying something clever at the last moment. Play the family off of each other, that's how John figured he would go about it. The problem with going up against your former allies was that they did already know you. Whilst the same was true in reverse and had allow them to anticipate at least some of their foe's movements. The shoe was on the other foot now however. He cast Ridley a brief glance, her eyes were fixed solely on the approaching spaceships. He wondered if they would spare her. Somehow, he doubted it. She had cast her lot in with them. He had made that point to her when this had all begun and she had refused to leave, to them, she was a traitor and would likely have to suffer the same fate as those she had sided with. The space monitor found himself reaching out to take her hand. The affectionate gesture caused her to look up, somewhat surprised. Without saying a word, she rested her head against his shoulder allowing him to slip an arm around her and pull her close.

The infiltrator followed the trail of blood to a door. Whilst he knew that it would open like all of the others had, he found himself hesitating. The reason was simple: unlike the other rooms which were merely cells, he could see on the map that this one was far larger. That meant, it was entirely possible that the Mechanic himself could be waiting inside. If that was the case then he was frightfully unprepared. The whole point of this operation was to avoid conflict. Ideally, he would have liked to scan inside to see who if anyone was inside. Sadly, without Thunderbird 5 he lacked the ability to see through steel and concrete. That meant taking a chance. Pressing his ear against the door he strained himself to see if he could hear any conversations. All he got was silence. He wasn't all that surprised. Given the nature of this part of the facility, it's constructors wouldn't have wanted the cries of those held to be echoing around the base.

Without waiting a second more, he advanced on through. He figured that at least if he went in quickly, he might have the advantage of surprise should a fight break out. He stopped almost as soon as he was inside. There was no Mechanic. His prisoners however were now accounted for. That allowed him to breathe something of a sigh of relief. An action he promptly regretted, there was a smell in the air which was more than a little unpleasant and caused him to instinctively gag as soon as he breathed it in and the stench of something burning caught in the back of his throat. He regained his composure a moment later, looking up into the wide and startled eyes of the eldest brother. He said nothing, mouth hanging slightly open but otherwise too shocked to react. Another day, he might have made some snide remark about it. Today however, he had other things to worry about. More specifically the young man's companion…

It would have been easy to mistake her for dead were it not for the uneasy breaths he could hear her take. Unconscious however was entirely possible. He approached slowly, walking past a table which he gave a brief glance only to note the occasional bloody instrument discarded atop of it. The man took in her current state, worry slowly growing in the pit of his stomach along side anger. He stopped just in front of the young woman. She still showed no sign of recognizing him or acknowledging his presence. Finally, he spoke in a soft voice:

"Tanusha, can you hear me?"

"Unfortunately." Her voice was terribly weak, trembling and hoarse but at least she was awake.

The GDF had landed. They had the family lined as one by one, a relatively young woman scanned them. No explanation had been given to them and they hadn't bothered to ask for one. They were to remain silent. Any resistance would be met with bullets. It had been phrased somewhat differently but the message still came across loud and clear. All members of the family and their associated friends were remarkably calm, as if they didn't have a clue what was coming. Hard to believe, that none of them had any clue of what orders the soldiers had been given. Their leader stopped, finishing the scans with Aiman Kyrano. The man was forced to remain seated, his injured leg prevented him from standing for too long. The woman's attention drifted over the little group as they waited perfectly placidly. She contemplated them for a moment, feeling sympathy. Out of her pocket, she pulled out her communicator, contacting the colonel:

"It's them. Scans confirm: no cloaks or holograms… Apparently the Hood jumped ship a while ago..."

The metal melted surprisingly easily. He managed to cut through each of the shackles in less than a minute. He could probably have been far faster if it weren't for the fact that he was having to take care not to injure the young woman. She was perfectly motionless, apparently not even remotely concerned that a laser was being used in close proximity to her arms and legs. The final restraint around her right arm finally gave way, freeing her. He stepped back, taking a few steps to allow her down. The young woman lingered there for a moment, as if something was still holding her in place. Then, it was as if someone cut her strings allowing her to fall forwards. He was only just fast enough to catch her, preventing her from crashing to the ground. She was heavy in his arms. He struggled to hold her up. She had grown a fair bit since she was a six year old jumping into his embrace for a surprise hug…

He managed to lower her down cautiously. He held her loosely in his arms. The man couldn't tell if she had actually lost consciousness or was merely suffering from a bout of weakness. Her limpness would seem to indicate the former. He hesitated a moment, aware that despite the current situation, his niece was far from fond of him. He let out a heavy and pained sigh. Curiously, it seemed to be enough to cause her to come to. She groaned, her face distorting into a wince. Her green eyes opened so as to rest upon him. Her muscles tensed violently as she tried her best to sit up. An involuntary cry of pain her lips. She gripped at her ribs, not anything particular rather than the whole general area. He helped her, allowing Kayo to rest against the wall and hopefully regain some sense of herself. For a moment, it felt as if she might have been dying. Rapid breaths seemed to allow her to regain enough self control to start trying to speak once more. Some words caught at the back of her throat, causing her to cough, an action which was evidently painful. Still, she tried again:

"Free him..."

He really didn't need to be told twice. Instantly, he rushed over to the Tracy brother. He seemed to be practically unscathed in comparison to the young woman. She was still shivering, struggling to pull herself together in the corner. Scott was yet to say so much as a word. It was evident that he couldn't quite figure out what was going on and indeed what had happened. His eyes were wide, drifting from his friend to the man who was in the process of rescuing them. No doubt he had a thousand questions. None of which the Hood was prepared to answer right now. After all, the timer hadn't stopped just because he had found the two prisoners. Thankfully, the eldest of the brothers still seemed to have enough of his senses at his disposal to offer his handcuffs out to be cut off. Once more, the man got the laser out and cautiously began to slice his way through. It took a little over two minutes to free the younger man, in that time, he was sure that the pilot didn't look away from his friend once.

The process allowed him to take note of the cuts and bruises around his wrists. He must have been struggling like a madman to free himself to cause this much damage. He wasn't about to question the man to know just what had happened. Compared to his niece, it wasn't something he particularly cared about. Not that Scott gave him enough time anyway. As soon as he was free, the young man ran over to Kayo, almost falling over in the process. He appeared to be somewhat wobbly on his legs. He had to good sense not to try and grab her at least, instead stopping short. The Hood could just see this turning into one of those "touching moments" crammed full of emotion and other pointless things which would only cost them more time.

"We need to move! If we don't contact Colonel Casey then your family and friends are done for."

"I know… We've been watching the live feed." The brother gestured in the direction of a screen split in two to show them both the island and the space station.

They still had a problem which was Kayo. The Hood looked at his map, he could see quite clearly where they needed to get to. It wasn't exactly miles away but he had his doubts about whether or not his niece was going to be able to make it two yards in her current state. There was a part of him which was wondering if she might not actually be dying as she lay slumped against the wall, struggling to even breathe. Her friend spoke softly to her, trying to comfort her. Her eyes flickered round to meet her blood relative's. He saw that she knew what she needed to do. The question was if she still had the strength for it… Taking a breath, she braced herself against the wall as she tried to get to her feet. Even from where he was standing, the man could make out her legs trembling as they struggled to bear her weight. It was almost as if he could hear the joints creak and crack as very slowly, she got to her feet. Scott remained close, ready to catch her should she fall. The head of security tried to straighten herself, coming away from the wall whilst doing so.

She let out a cry of pain as her legs gave way beneath her. Scott was only just quick enough to support her easing her down so that she was resting on her hands and knees. Desperately, she gasped for breath as if she had just completed a marathon. Quickly, the Hood started going through options in his head as he waited for the young woman to recover somewhat. If she couldn't walk then they were going to have a problem. Naturally, he contemplated carrying her. He himself wouldn't be able to do so, at least not for long. Although he wasn't weak, he doubted he had the physical strength for a fireman carry. Scott might have. He had his doubts however as he seemed to be rather shaky himself. The last thing the young woman needed was to be dropped. If they started going into anything like making a stretcher, it would eat into their precious time… On the other hand, they simply couldn't leave her here.

Tanusha was aware of all of this as anyone, he could tell that. Despite her muscles screaming at her that they had had enough, she tried once more to get to her feet. The strain was obvious. Scott tried to help her, slipping an arm round her so as to act as support. Once more however, she fell to the ground. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, some of it pain but also pride, rage at her own weakness. Ever since she was a child, she'd been confident, a little warrior. Now her own body, battered, cut and bruised had decided it had had enough and fought against her. No doubt it knew better than she did and was aware that what it was being asked to do would only damage it further. It's way of resisting was a simple one, refusing to even bear her own weight. So he did the only thing that he could to spur her on:

"Come on! Pull yourself together!" His words were harsh, oblivious to the girl's suffering and he could see the displeasure on the eldest brother's face as he tentatively tried to encourage his friend to get to her feet. "We don't have all day!"

The anger and resentment on Kayo's face was all too obvious. Her eyes narrowed, shooting him a cold warning glare. She would put up with a lot of things and already had, being humiliated by a man she loathed however wasn't one of them. Scott was in the process of trying to put his arms around her in order to scoop her up in an attempt to carry the injured young woman. She pushed him away, gently but firmly. Hands balled into fists, she pushed herself up from the floor for a third time. As before, the pain was clear to see causing her to shake. With gritted teeth however she managed to soldier on through it, fighting against some invisible force as she made it back to her feet. There she stood, uneasily trying to find her balance. She took some deep breaths, still glaring at him, full of contempt.

The Hood simply turned away heading back towards the exit. He didn't bother checking to see if they were following him, knowing full-well that they would. He trusted Scott Tracy to keep an eye on Kayo. If she was unable to keep up, he would let him know. It was his job to trouble himself with completing the mission. He glanced down at the map once more. Brains might have been a genius but this still seemed to be incredibly risky. All it would require was one single miscalculation and all of them, without fail would be dead. Well, the Tracy family and their friends would be killed. His fate as well as those of the two escapees might not be as pleasant if their foe succeeded in getting his hands on them alive. He would rather not spend too much time imagining that possibility.

"Where are we going?" From behind him the brother spoke.

"We need to contact Colonel Casey, see if we can convince her not to shoot the rest of your family. Given that the Mechanic's in the control room, we don't have too many options..."

They assumed the Mechanic was in the control room. If he had done so much as gone to the toilet then they were in trouble. The entirety of the plan relied on them being able to sneak their way past him and his defences until they could reach the communications lab. From there, they should be able to contact the GDF and hopefully stop all of this madness before it was too late. The margins were such that if their enemies were even one minute early, then it would all be over. He had wondered what he would do if that was the case. Probably run for it. Perhaps, if he was feeling generous, he would take his injured niece with him. Heck, maybe even Scott Tracy, he was hardly going to pose much of a threat with his family wiped out. He would leave them to their own devices after that. Let them find their own way in the world. If they could…

The man was shaken from his thoughts as they arrived in the room. He rushed over to the commands. Behind him, Scott joined him, helping a limping Kayo along as he went. The man tried to pay as little attention to them as physically possible whilst he repeated what he had been instructed to do by a mixture of Brains and John. Of course… He was no stranger to hacking systems himself. The GDF's really were rather pathetic given how important they were supposed to be. He fancied he would have been able find his way around them half-drunk. In the scheme of things, it was child's play.

He managed to bring Colonel Casey up relatively easily. It was almost a shame that he didn't have a camera, the look of shook on the woman's face would have made for excellent blackmail material. The question was, were they in time? Somehow, the commander managed to dominate her own surprise to ask:

"What is this?"

"Tell your men not to shoot!" The Hood wasted no time, deciding to get straight to the point. "I've freed the hostages. They're safe!"

"It's true colonel!" Scott stepped forwards so that she could see him.

"Scott?" The woman's eyes flicked around searching for someone. "Where's Kayo?"

"Here…"

Kayo in turn limped over. She allowed her battered features to do the rest of the talking. It didn't take a genius to realize what must have happened. The Colonel contemplated her for a moment. For once, the emotion was plain to see: a mixture of compassion and pain. She was supposed to be protecting them. So far, she had failed rather miserably at the task. The woman remained hesitant however. Despite the pain, the blood spilled and the bond shared, she knew that there was far more on the line than her life and even that of her best friends' families. Letting out a sigh, the commander reminded them in a quiet voice:

"He still has Sentinel..."

"We can stop him!" Scott's tone was resolute, leaving little room for debate.

"If you don't?"

"They will." It was almost as if the Hood was presenting a fact.

The Colonel remained hesitant, her eyes fixed solely upon them. They could only wait. Pushing any further would only risk causing her to snap and make her do something they might all regret. What she wanted to do was clear. Whether she believed that she was able to take the risk was another. The Hood knew what he would have done in her position and all he could do was hope that her moral compass pointed in an altogether different direction to his own. It was a dangerous game with both everything to play for and potentially everything to lose. Scott took one more step forwards, pleading:

"Please, Colonel..."

"Ma'm?" A voice could be heard from over the radio. "We're waiting for the order..."

She let out a sigh, knowing that the next few words to escape her lips would inevitably change everything.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews! And the help with the formatting!_**

 ** _/_**

Starring down the barrel of a gun was never going to be a comfortable thing to do. Virgil had been aware that it could happen. Kayo had told a few stories. Even Gordon of all people had found himself face to face with a weapon. This was different however. This wasn't one madman or desperate criminal with a gun. This was twenty of them, lined up. A firing squad for lack of a better word. Each taking aim at a member of the family. He himself, perhaps as the most imposing of the group found himself with no less than five barrels pointing in his direction. He could see where they were aiming, ready to make it a quick death.

The men and women's fingers lay on the triggers but thankfully, none of them had pulled yet. They were waiting for an order. Their commander still had her hand on the radio. There was only silence from the other end. A terrifying wait. It was Colonel Casey who was in charge of this operation. One final insult and torment it would seem. Virgil would rather not think about what would happen to his godmother once her usefulness had expired. The Hood had believed that she would likely be "gotten rid of" in turn. He didn't find it that hard to believe. Get rid of International Rescue and all of those who had once been affiliated with them and who had once shared their ideals. Not only would it remove the opposition but it would serve as a grim reminder for all those who might seek to rise up against him.

He didn't believe that's why she hesitated. There was a human part of the commander. The woman who had watched them grow up. Who had laughed with his parents. Cried at their mother's funeral alongside his father. Who had watched over them after even the legendary Jeff Tracy had been torn away from them. That woman would be screaming out for this all to stop. Demanding that she did something to help and protect those whose lives she was theoretically supposed to be guarding. They weren't alone. Resting on her shoulders were also several billion other individuals scattered across the surface of a planet which currently had a rather terrifyingly large laser hovering over the top of its surface. It went without saying that she couldn't simply let them die either.

Virgil held his grandmother close to him. Seeking to provide her with some comfort and perhaps in turn receive some. Gordon stood next to Penny and Parker, the former held her dog next to her as he whimpered softly. Even Brains seemed to be seeking some companionship in MAX. Only Kyrano remained alone. The man sat on a rock, his head hung low. Accepting his fate without even the faintest hint of resistance. This was cutting things far too fine. Initially, they had tried to remain as calm as possible but when the GDF had landed and begun to pile off of their ships, they had begun to feel panic. When they had started the scans, the idea that they might be too late had felt like an increasing reality.

The Space Station offered a similarly grim scenario. Alan tried to force himself to keep focused. Ignore the man whose hands were trembling, a gun pressed up against the side of his temple. He used the memories of his brother and Kayo to give himself strength. They wouldn't fail. If they hadn't broken out of their own accord then the Hood would have sprung them by now and they would be on their way. They were just cutting it a little fine. That was all. Given the nature of space, John found himself with the barrel of a weapon pressed right up against his head. These guys knew what they were doing. One stray bullet could mean disaster in such a hostile and unforgiving atmosphere (or rather lack of it). Thunderbird 5 could have taken it. They maybe weren't to know that of course.

His eyes fell onto Ridley, still struggling valiantly against the two soldiers who were holding her back. Although for some reason it all seemed a bit distant, as if he were underwater. They were shouting at her, practically begging for her to come with them. She didn't want to see this. They told her. Still she fought, there was gravity on the ring, allowing her to dig her heels in and pull back. Desperately she turned to him, tears swelling up behind her eyes as it became apparent that time had run out. He wanted to say something, anything to assure her that it was alright. He found that he couldn't speak, words becoming trapped in the back of his throat, fear rendering him paralysed.

All had placed their lives in the hands of a man who would on any other day have likely tried to kill them himself.

Now, there was only silence. It seemed to be lasting for far too long although it could have just been their collective imagination making everything seem both worse and more torturous. It was unlikely, if and when the order was given that any of them would be able to react. It would probably be so quick, they wouldn't realize what was happening. At least that was what they told themselves. It was obvious that the soldiers were becoming restless, the silence didn't suit them much either. No doubt, this wasn't their idea of a "good mission". Shooting rescuers, teenagers and civilians was hardly something which appealed to those sane of mind.

Finally, the commander decided to call up the colonel to see just what the hold-up was… Could it be that the woman couldn't bring herself to give the order? Even if that was true, it would only be a matter of minutes before one of her superiors took command and ordered them to fire. She would know that. Perhaps that suited her in some way, as it allowed her to shift some of the responsibility for the crime off of her shoulders. It didn't sound like their Casey but in the current situation nothing was impossible.

"Stand down! All of you stand down right now!"

It was quite clear that they would have liked to do nothing more. Some even obliging, lowering their weapons quickly. A few of them even indulged in a sigh of relief. Would they have actually fired? It was a question which none of those on the island particularly felt like having answered. The order seemed to come as relief to those holding the guns, almost as much as their targets. They must have been cutting things impossibly close.

Slowly but surely, the family began to relax. It wasn't just the fact that the guns had been lowered, although they remained somewhat weary in that regard. There was also the secondary implication. Their plan had worked. Somehow. No doubt they would have to wait until they heard from the Hood to know the full details but simply knowing that their brother and Kayo was safe was enough for most of them to breathe once more. As confused as the soldiers appeared to be, none of them were questioning the order which seemed to suit them rather well. The family remained cautious, preferring not to risk doing anything which could possibly cause the large number of armed individuals to spook. A few seconds later, there was a call coming in from the GDF head quarters. They were quick to answer:

"I think you need to talk to some people..." The Colonel began patching them through.

Scott struggled to contain his excitement at the prospect of seeing his family once more. It had crossed his mind more than once that he might never lay eyes on them again, at least not in this life. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kayo backing away from the screen until she was safely out of sight. He turned, momentarily forgetting about everything, eager to ensure that she was alright. Seeing him begin to come over, the young woman shook her head negatively. He stopped, hesitating slightly. He felt that he understood just what she wanted, even if he couldn't quite condone it. She didn't want her family and loved ones seeing her in her current state. Perhaps it wasn't so much pride which was driving her as necessity. She didn't want them worrying. He nodded once, letting her know that he knew where she was coming from.

His own eagerness brought down by the painful reminder that they were far from out the woods yet, he stepped forwards far more sedately. They probably wouldn't have all that long to talk. It was only a matter of time before the Mechanic realized that his two prisoners were free and that the GDF weren't following his instructions any more. He figured that the others must have come up with some kind of plan. They would have been thinking whilst he was locked up in a cell. They wouldn't have come here if they didn't have some way to put an end to this madness once and for all. At least that's what he told himself as he stood there. If nothing else, it was a relief just to be able to see them once more.

"We don't have much time." It was Grandma who took over, skipping the warm greetings altogether. "Hood, how's the plan."  
"I'm linking you to the Mechanic's systems as we speak." Scott had barely even noticed the man keying things into the computer.

"Good. Virgil, Gordon, get going!" The elderly woman's eyes fell back upon him softening slightly as they did so. "Are you okay?"

Was he? He felt dreadful. Not just physically, exhaustion was beginning to take its toll and there was a hunger eating away at his stomach. That however was mild in comparison to the mixture of fear and anguish which weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He still felt as if he was about to collapse in a heap on the floor. All he found himself wanting was to be back home on Tracy Island, safe, to have his brothers with him and for Kayo to be alright. He kept his mouth shut however, trying to dispel those thoughts from his mind. It was only wishful thinking right now. All the risks taken and suffering endured would mean nothing if they didn't stop the Mechanic. He knew he was going to have to lie. There was no other choice. Whether his grandmother would see through it or not, he didn't know. She was far from a fool…

"I'm fine."

"Kayo?" Her voice was somewhat lower than before, almost a whisper. "It sounded like she was hurt."

"She's-" He paused before letting out a sigh, unwilling to lie.

"Been better..." The young woman somehow summoned enough strength to croak out some more words. "That doesn't matter right now..."

He sensed the change in the ageing woman as the colour drained somewhat from her face. Despite Kayo's assurances, there was no masking the pain behind her broken voice. Even without seeing the state the head of security was in, there was no doubting that the woman she considered to be her grandmother would know she was in a bad way. There were however many miles separating them at the moment and she could do precious little to assist them. The elder let out a heavy and painful sigh. One which made Scott long for her physical presence, he didn't know whether it would be for him to reassure her or vice-versa. He told himself that it didn't really matter. Unless he'd missed a trick, his family was still back on that little island they'd been hiding out on. It would be a while until they were together once more. He would have to be patient.

"Virgil and Gordon are on their way. They'll be bringing medical supplies with them. Can you last that long?"

"Yeah." It wasn't as if they had much of a choice. "How long until you get here?"

"About forty-five minutes."

That was quite some time to wait. He gave Kayo a brief glance. She was looking decidedly uneasy on her feet. Swaying slightly and evidently having to brace herself against the counter to remain standing. The question was if she could last that long… He tried to think of any alternatives, something which could get them some help, even if it was just a first aid kit. Unfortunately, until their rescue arrived it looked like they wouldn't be getting any. Their best bet would probably be to try and get as much distance between themselves and the Mechanic as possible. That would involve getting out of his base however. If the Hood had some schematics, it was a fair bet that they would be able to find an exit. The trick would be escaping without being noticed. A bridge they could cross when they came to it.

A series beeps from the computer the Hood was working on caused the young man to jump. Being locked up for the past few days hadn't done his nerves much good. John's face appeared suddenly, alongside Ridley. Still no Alan though… Unwillingly, he found several nightmare scenarios popping up in his mind. He tried to tell himself that they would have let him know if anything had happened to his youngest brother. He tried his best to calm himself. In the scheme of things, he knew very little of what was going on. They had been rescued by the Hood of all people and now the rest of their family had been spared. So far, it was more than he had dared to hope for. He was inclined to roll with whatever was going on.

"We've got the coordinates. Alan?"

"Here bro!" The overjoyed look on Alan's face caused Scott to muster some of his remaining emotional strength to give him a warm and comforting smile.

"Here's your destination."

"On it!"

"Is there anything we can do to help?" The idea of just standing here and waiting didn't sit too well with him.

"Yes..." The Hood grumbled without looking away from the controls. "You can stand at least three yards away from me. You stink worse than a pig!"

Scott frowned, his mouth opened ready to snap something in response. There were most definitely better people to be rescued by. Exhaustion however must have taken its toll as he failed to think of anything appropriate to retort. Instead, he let out a sigh. He probably did stink. The GDF had given him a hose-down when they had taken him in and allowed him to change clothes but that was about it. He would almost certainly have smelt unpleasant. He gave John a brief glance, his younger brother rolled his eyes. He was willing to bet that their new ally had made himself anything but popular with the rest of the family.

Alan contemplated the directions he had been given. Earth's orbit. Well that was hardly surprising. It would have had to be somewhere like that for the Mechanic to be able to threaten the planet the way that he did. It was hard to believe that the GDF hadn't been able to locate it before. Almost certainly it would have been cloaked one way or another. Perhaps the looming threat of it potentially being fired was enough to cause them to leave it be or not to search to begin with. Whatever the case, he would ensure that it was shut down once and for all. Noise behind him caused him to glance over his shoulder. That one GDF guy looked decidedly uneasy. He hadn't had enough time to tell them to leave, preferring to use every second he had to get out there. The result was one unwilling passenger who suddenly had a lot more than they had bargained for. Nothing for it now, he would just have to tag along for the ride.

Could the Mechanic see him? By now he would surely be aware of the security breach and the silence in that regard was rather scary in itself. It left them with two options: either he had realized what was happening and decided his best option was to escape while he still could or alternatively he was planning something big. He knew which one he would much rather it was. In his mind, he was already beginning to plan his approach. It was safe to assume that the satellite would have some form of defences which would naturally make approaching it a pain to say the least. He was still in the middle of plotting his next course of action when a quiet voice peeped up from behind him:

"Uh kid… What exactly are you planning?"

"Oh sorry." Turning round, he found himself facing a rather confused and somewhat awkward looking soldier. "We've got the Sentinel's location. Now we've just got to deactivate it."

"You make it sound easy."

"Yeah… Well, I prefer to stay optimistic." He went back to looking out into space, Earth was gradually coming closer. "I'm Alan by the way..."

"I uh..." He blinked a few times, decidedly awkward. "I know who you are."

Of course he did. Deciding that it was probably best for him to concentrate on the task at hand, he focused on the destination which his computers were indicating. He took a deep breath, fully aware of just how much was currently being threatened and rested now solely upon his shoulders. One mess-up and it could be an entire city which paid the price. He couldn't allow that to happen. It wasn't just them either, his family also needed him to come through with this one. They had been given a reprieve on the condition that they put an end to the Mechanic's machinations once and for all. A large part of that involved getting rid of his main weapon. He would do it. He had to… This was just another mission, the told himself.

Thunderbird 2 was in the sky in record time. Gordon concentrated on going over the schematics one at a time. He was trying to be as thorough as possible. Brown eyes scanned for anything that they might have missed which could prove to be either a valuable asset or potentially a weakness which they would need to guard against. It was a task made doubly complicated by the fact that his mind kept on travelling back to his brother and Kayo. Their grandmother had hurried them away before they'd been able hear much from them but it sounded like they might not have been in the best of shapes. Try as he might, he couldn't shake terrible images from his mind which were no doubt partly caused by watching too many horror movies. Scott had warned him against them. Why didn't he ever listen?

Letting out a sigh, the aquanaut turned to his brother. He hesitated to share his troubles. Generally in their family, they assumed that it was always okay to bother one another with their worries no matter how mundane or serious. Right now however, he was aware that they were in the middle of a particularly important rescue mission and that it might not be the best time to start bothering Virgil who was busy piloting. Still, he couldn't help himself as he found himself desperately needing to be told that he was worrying about nothing:

"Virg..."

"Mm?" The tone of the grumble assured him that it was okay to talk, he would listen.

"Do you think Scott and Kayo are okay?" He spoke quietly, tentatively, afraid of the answer he would get.

"Hard to say..." The second eldest brother let out a heavy sigh, one which failed to mask the concern behind it. "We won't know until we get there."

"You think he hurt them?"

"Probably… We'd be kidding ourselves Squid if we tried to tell ourselves anything else. They're alive though. That's what counts. We'll deal with the rest as it comes."

Gordon nodded slowly in agreement. It made sense, there was little else which they could do right now. Saving their loved ones remained the priority. The Mechanic would see them coming. Thunderbird 2 was no shadow. Their best hope was that by that time Sentinel was off line and they would be able to get themselves some assistance from the GDF and perhaps even the prisoners working from the inside. They knew that Thunderbirds didn't always fare too well against mechs, after all they weren't combat vehicles. Yet another matter they would deal with as and when. For the time being, the second youngest decided that it was probably best if he tried to block out everything else from his mind other than the journey there.

They could trust John and EOS to keep an eye on the situation from space. They would let them know if anything came up. Those still on board the space station had retreated back to the communications hub from where it was easier to manage to situation. They were still shaken. No doubt it would be easier to share their own doubts and comfort the other later on when they didn't still have a squadron of GDF soldiers in the vicinity. Their main attention was on coordinating both operations and keeping the groups in contact and informed. There was Alan on his mission in space, Virgil and Gordon rushing towards Canada and of course those waiting for a rescue deep inside of the bunker. Quite the handful to try and manage given the scope for things to suddenly go south. Thankfully, if there was one thing that working on Thunderbird 5 had taught John, it was how to manage chaos.

Right now, there was comparatively little that they could do other than wait. One thing which concerned him however was just how quiet the bunker seemed to be. He could see the signal coming from the Hood and the rescued prisoners as clear as day. However that was all, even on the other channels, everything seemed to be decidedly quiet. No doubt any messages or orders the Mechanic was sending out would be encrypted but it still felt as if there should have been something. It was impossible to conceive that their enemy, a genius, albeit an insane one, didn't know that something had happened.

"You guys might want to think about moving..." He listened to Grandma's recommendation to the others. "See if you can get outside. It'll make it safer and easier for your brothers."

Scott nodded once in agreement. It was more of an automatic response than anything else. He agreed before even thinking of the implications. Quite quickly afterwards, he found himself coming to a very simple realization: whilst in here was far from ideal, they were at the very least protected from the elements. He had no idea just where they were but knew that it wasn't warm. None of them were particularly equipped for the cold or rain. Only the Hood had a jacket. He was stuck in a shirt and some trousers. Kayo didn't even have shoes… Even ignoring their lack of appropriate equipment, he was far from convinced that his friend would be able to ensure mother nature for all that long. Even indoors, she looked as if she might be about to collapse. Trying to head outside with her would be taking a risk to say the very least.

It might however be necessary. They were vulnerable in here. This was very much the Mechanic's facility. He would be able to find them easily. There were some nightmare scenarios appearing in his mind along the lines of them suddenly being locked in and the room filling with gas. He gave Kayo a brief glance, she was his main cause for hesitating. He figured that if the distance was the problem, he could carry her. His legs were still somewhat shaky and he didn't feel 100% but they had precious little choice. It was just as he turned around that he saw a figure heading towards the doorway.

The years of relying on Kayo's almost sixth sense when it came to danger seemed to have dulled his own awareness of the world around them. A few seconds more and they would have been too late. As it was, he was only just fast enough to slam the door shut before their enemy stormed in. To his surprise, the head of security was close behind him, moving quickly she lashed out and managed to tug the control console off of the wall. She wasn't picky or delicate when it came to disconnecting the wires, contenting herself with grabbing a handful and pulling them out violently. Both staggered backwards away from the door. Fixing it with horror as if it could be broken down at any second. Hearts racing, they exchanged nervous looks.

"What's going on?" Came the concerned but still somehow steady voice of Grandma.

"The Mechanic..." He swallowed a lump which had formed in his throat. "He's found us."

"Scott, is he in there with you?"

It was Colonel Casey who spoke. There was a sense of urgency behind her words but still none-the-less he got the feeling that she was remaining calm. For a moment, it almost reminded him of the way his father would guide him through the more complicated parts of missions when they had first been starting off. It allow him to break away from the fear which had gripped him without him even realizing it. Shaking his head, he brought himself back from that tiny cell where he had once more found himself trapped and back into the room. A few deep breaths served to ease his heart rate and slow the effect of the panic which was beginning to take hold. It took a few moments for him to be able to answer, his mouth still dry and his voice with a slight quaky quality to it which failed to mask his fear:

"No but he's outside the door."

"Are you locked in?" She continued as if going through some sort of check-list.

"Kayo disabled the door's controls but that's not going to stop him." He found himself instinctively edging away from the entrance to the room.

"Good girl." Her voice softened ever so slightly with the comment before continuing once more. "Scott, listen to me. Those doors are military grade, the building was designed to withstand bombs. Even the Mechanic won't be able to just barge it down. Is there anything there you can use to block it or at least to slow him down?"

"No… There's nothing-" He stopped himself, his memory snapping back suddenly. "Wait!"

He rushed forwards to the Hood. The man appeared surprised to find another so abruptly going through his pockets but otherwise didn't object. Acting quickly, he grabbed the laser cutter and found himself somewhat surprised to recognise his own. It wasn't something which had immediately occurred to him to check when they were being freed. The Hood and his brothers must have retrieved it from Thunderbird 1, either that or Brains had made a few spares. Wasting no more time, he headed over to the door and set about burning the outside, causing the metal to melt and fuse to the rest of the frame.

"I'm welding the door shut!" He shouted slightly so that they might be able to hear him.

"That will buy you some time. He'll have to cut his way through."

"Minutes..." The Hood's grumble was a discontented one. "If it hadn't escaped any of your attention. We're trapped."

"With a rescue on the way." Grandma's response was firm and resolute. "It's going to be tight but we're coming for you."

"Good. Please remember to bring three body bags. All he has to do is flood this room with gas." The Hood's coldness lingered in the form of a strange detachment from the situation.

"I've cut him off from the..." A sudden distortion made it impossible to make out John's words for a few seconds. "System- wait – be there..."

He was gone a few seconds later along with all the other feeds. Their one access to the outside world was cut off abruptly leaving only dead static and the sound of his own laser slowly melting the metal and the unpleasant smell it generated as a result. He let out a stream of obscenities under his breath forcing himself to continue with the task at hand. Stumbling slightly, Tanusha came to his side. She was pale, shaking from head to foot. He looked at her out of the corner of his vision finishing his work to the best of his ability given the current circumstances. She stood there waiting patiently until he was finished.

"Won't hold 'im long." The rawness in her voice made it apparent that she was struggling to say even a few words.

"I know..."

He'd braced himself realizing what was going to happen before it did. She collapsed, falling forwards into his arms. He managed to bear her weight, allowing her to slump fully against him as he carried her backwards so as to bring her over to the wall. Slowly he eased her down, gently cradling her head as he did so to protect both it and her neck. He treated her as if she were made out of glass and might shatter at any moment. He found himself wondering if she might already have… A few coughs informed him that she hadn't actually lost consciousness but rather her body had called it quits in so far as standing up was concerned.

Reaching out, he gingerly brushed his fingers against her forehead both to test for a reaction and feel her temperature. She was cool, as if the shivering hadn't been clue enough to that. It took a lot to remain calm, to treat her as he would any other victim he encountered. Whilst he was far from a medic, he had been briefed in what to do if he encountered an injured individual on a mission. His first thought was to check for any more serious injuries which could potentially be endangering her life. He counted himself lucky that he hadn't witnessed the first half of her agony. Unfortunately, it left him unsure what she had been made to endure. As bloody as her torn shirt and trousers were, it didn't look like there was quite enough to be coming from anything too deep. Her pulse was irregular and faint but still present enough for him not to worry immediately about the blood loss. Pain flashed across her face as she shifted slightly. His eyes searched the room, not a first aid kit in sight. Hell… He turned to the Hood.

"Do you have any medical supplies?" It was a faint hope but one which he clung to.

"Afraid not." He didn't take his eyes off of the door as he spoke.

"She's in shock…"

"Well she's just going to have to bear it." There was little emotion behind the man's statement, he sounded thoroughly fed up.

"Thanks Hood..."

Just how he she had managed to summon enough strength to answer was beyond him. Her eyes were dull, fighting valiantly to remain conscious. Somehow however, she managed to give the man a glare before wincing once more. Her head rolled back as she let out a pained groan. There was some crackling from the door as a powerful blow torch started slowly to cut through the metal, sending sparks flying as it went. Scott focused on it for a moment, knowing what it would mean when the door burst down. He tried not to linger on that single terrifying thought. Instead as he squatted in front of his injured friend, he tried to focus on her, to block everything else out.

Reaching out tentatively, he dared to stroke her cheek. She flinched, the skin there was cut, battered and bruised, sensitive. Still, she smiled very softly grateful for the mark of affection. He tried his best to smile back, to reassure her. He reached down, eager to hold her hand anything to give some comfort. He stopped however. The flesh which had been in contact with the metal was badly burned. Gently, he took her hand turning them over to look at the inside of her wrists. It was the same. He let out a sigh, raising his gaze to meet hers. No doubt she could read the concern but for once wasn't about to scold him for it.

"On a scale of one to Fishler, how bad's the pain?"

"Ned Tedford..." It was a desperate gasp but one which still caused him to huff with amusement.

"So, maddening but somehow still endearing?" He couldn't help but answer. He earned a brief chuckle which turned into a cough.

"Isn't that more of a Scott Tracy?"

"You find me endearing?" Despite everything, he managed to give her a cocky grin.

"You have your moments..."

Her eyes closed a moment later, the shivers seemed to have gotten the better of her causing the head of security to tense up as she tried to curl up in a ball. He tried to stop her, realizing that it was best for her to try and stay as relaxed as possible. Gently, he pushed her back slowly. She put up some resistance leaving him torn. A part of him reasoned that her body would know best how she should have been resting. On the other hand, experience had taught him that it wasn't always the case. He wished that he were Virgil. He would have known what to do. What position he should have put her in. Instead, he just stared at her, unsure what to do. Once more, his gaze flickered round, desperately searching for anything which could be of use. Unfortunately, they seemed to have chosen what could easily have been the emptiest room in the entire facility. With no escape, it wasn't even as if he could go looking for medical supplies. Once more she tensed up, trying once more to pull her legs in close, an action which was obviously painful. He was somewhat more forceful this time, when it came to ensuring she stayed put. She looked up at him, eyes pained and not understanding:

"I'm cold..." It was a whimpered complaint, the sort she would never ordinarily have uttered but right now was powerless to prevent.

He let out a sigh, running a hand through long tangled hair which he placed behind one of her ears. Once more, his fingers brushed against her own flesh. She was frigid. Her clothes were still damp from the bucket of water which had been thrown on her some time ago and clung to her skin. She needed to be warmed up. There was only so much which kind, caring words and some gentle arm rubbing could accomplish. Taking a deep breath, he began to take his own shirt off. It wasn't much but it would be better than letting her freeze. She could change her top. Just getting her dry would no doubt make her feel somewhat better. It was about all that they could do right now: provide some comfort.

Something relatively heavy collided with him, covering his head. He pulled it off to discover that it was in fact the Hood's jacket. The man shivered briefly, trying to accustom himself to losing one of his layers but said nothing. His eyes were cold, hard to read. Scott said nothing, deciding that the more pressing matter was to get Tanusha dry and hopefully a little warmer. He gently tapped the young woman's shoulder, bringing her to once more. She looked up at him uncertainly. With a little encouragement, she managed to get her old T shirt off. It was promptly discarded. She would have little use for it in the future. Her uncle kept his eyes firmly fixed on the door. The eldest of the brothers noted with some concern the injuries which had been concealed up until then. She was most definitely going to need a doctor at the end of this… He doubted that some of them would ever heal up completely. She snuggled into the jacket, even although it was a good few sizes too big for her. Tentatively, he stroked the side of her face for a few moments, allowing her to breathe and hopefully regain some strength. The young woman seemed to have relaxed somewhat. With her eyes closed, for a moment he dared even to think that she might have been safe:

"It's okay." He spoke in a quiet whisper, one intended only for her. "You're safe. I'm not going to let him hurt you again. I promise."

"D-Don't make promises..." The words caught once more at the back of her throat causing her to make a sound not dissimilar to choking. "You can't keep."

Trapped and with little else to do, he allowed himself to slip down with his back to the wall so as to settle next to Kayo. The jacket seemed to have done at least some good. There was nothing to be done for the pain that she was in but warmth could bring its own form of comfort, allowing her to perhaps better fight her own suffering. Taking a few deep breaths, she shifted so as to rest against him. He didn't object slipping an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her in so that she was both more comfortable and could benefit from some of his body heat. The young woman rested her head against his shoulder. She was still cold and not even her breath against the skin of his neck felt quite right. Still, she was alive. There was enough to be grateful for in that simple fact. She begun to speak a few seconds later, still sounding like someone had stuffed sandpaper down her throat:

"Scott..."

"Don't try to talk." He added to his advice by gently rubbing her left forearm. "If it's sore… Just save your strength."

"Nice try." She met his smile with one of her own, tired. In an odd way, it almost reminded him of Alan when he was younger requesting another bedtime story. "Tell me about that life..."

"What life?" He raised his eyebrows, genuinely perplexed.

"That one that Colonel Casey suggested. Sounds nice… Right about now."

He blinked a few times, understanding what she wanted and why. A story. Something to distract her, to make her feel maybe a bit safer. Escapism because they simply weren't escaping from this one without help. He hummed briefly, casting his gaze in the Hood's direction. The man was clearly trying to pay as little attention to them as humanly possible. That seemed to suit all parties. The eldest brother resolved to try and ignore the somewhat unpleasant company for as long as humanly possible. Instead, he focused all of his attention of the man's niece and dreaming up a world for her. She nuzzled his neck, prompting him to pull her closer and place a kiss on the top of her head.

"Well… We have this house. It's by the sea. You can walk right off of the porch onto the beach or watch the sunset. Virgil comes round sometimes, he plays the piano. Gordon, he can't wait to come round to go splashing in the waves. Allie drives them. You've got a job, a regular job… No Mechanic, no Hood. The world doesn't need saving any more. It is safe. You've got this kid. Bright green eyes and the most wonderful smile..."

He continued his tale. She listened with her eyes closed, blocking the world around out. All the while, the smell of burning metal became stronger as the steel was slowly cut away.

John slammed his hands against the holograms causing them to vanish. An uncharacteristic show of anger. There was nothing to be done. He'd been struggling as best as he could to re-establish a connection with those trapped in the base. There was nothing to be done about it. The Mechanic was blocking him. No amount of encryption could get round him. He found himself running a hand through his hair, struggling to think of anything which he hadn't tried yet but failing. Their foe knew what they were trying to do and he wasn't about to let them do it. That meant that Scott, Kayo and the Hood were on their own until Virgil and Gordon arrived. A small icon displaying Thunderbird 2's progression was flying almost agonizingly slowly across the Pacific, heading towards Canada.

EOS blipped highlighting something else. Light green eyes widened abruptly as he noticed just what the A.I. was bringing to his attention. Terror gripped him as he found himself calling their friend as quickly as possible:

"Colonel! You have a situation!"


	21. Chapter 21

**_Author's note: Once more, thank you for the reviews._**

 ** _/_**

Sirens blared and red lights flashed.

An organised chaos had set into a panicking GDF base. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Evacuation was something which was practised periodically for this very reason. Right now however, there was a sense of urgency which only ever came when it was the real deal. Men and women ran as fast as their legs would carry them. There was no messing around with administration. Just getting everyone out. There wasn't time for anything else. There was an attempt to maintain some form of control of what was going on to avoid pandemonium taking over which would have been fatal. It was inevitable that some disorder set in, some ended up forgetting their tasks whilst others tried to take on too many.

A middle aged woman steered them back onto the right track. She lead up the rear. Her words were strong, strict. They left no room for debate. She wasn't about to let anyone do anything foolish: be it through cowardice or bravery. Some voices called for her to leave. She refused, from a small console in her hand and some help from Thunderbird 5 she monitored the life signs of those throughout the base. The voice of one of her godsons spoke to her, informing her of how many personnel were out of the danger zone, who would be soon and how many she had to give a kick up the rear end to get a move on. That last part, she was more than capable of handling herself.

She maintained an appearance of calm. Never letting anyone see past the stern visage she wore. She was a commander, someone of authority. If she was shown to have fear or to be even remotely unsure of what was going on and her orders then those under her command would inevitably begin to doubt as well. That wasn't something which they could afford. Panic was when mistakes were made. In a situation as dire as the one they had found themselves plunged into that would mean that lives would potentially be lost. She wasn't about to let that happen on her watch. Walking through the corridors quickly but without appearing to be running, she made her way towards her next destination and what was perhaps the most dangerous part of the operation.

She entered the cells. The prisoners were being lead out, handcuffed. They were ushered along quickly enough for them to understand that there was some urgency here. Strangely, that seemed to mean that they encountered little to no resistance. Many were more than happy to be taken away. Even if it was just a temporary measure, it was better than being trapped inside. Perhaps some whispers had wandered through the base and had reached the ears of those locked up. It wasn't impossible to conceive that they might be at least somewhat aware of what was going on and what was about to fall from the sky. Dark brown eyes watched the proceedings with interest. A cool glare was enough to put any who looked like they might even have been putting half a foot in the wrong direction back in their place.

She checked the map on her wrist. They were leaving. They were dispersing throughout the surrounding countryside. The GDF themselves were scattering to the four winds. Anything to avoid a large gathering of people who would make for a good target. It was impossible for them to go in completely different directions. The idea of leaving the prisoners without supervision for instance was truly terrifying. That and they simply didn't have enough vehicles for everyone to be able to travel by themselves. They had calculated the minimum amount of passengers per-vehicle. With the help of the space station and those on board, they were redirecting them so as to have the minimum number of people within the same striking distance. It was paramount that they leave no obvious targets anywhere nearby.

Standing outside as she watched the prisoners being loaded into the vans, the woman found her gaze slowly drifting up towards the night's sky. Up there somewhere was the potential source of their doom. It looked no different to any other starry sky that she had been able to look upon throughout her life. In other circumstances, she could have pictured herself many years ago, lying on her back with her friends. Jeff telling them about the wonders of the sky and Lee challenging him to see who would be the first to touch Mars. They'd loved the stars. Never before had they imagined that they could become something of such terror.

A little beeping, accompanied by a small hologram served to drag her from her thoughts:

"Colonel, you need to think about getting out of there yourself."

"Don't worry, John." Brown eyes flickered back towards the sky. "I know what I'm doing."

"Ma'm!"

As if on cue, a young soldier ran over to her. The man was out of breath. No doubt he had charged through most of the base at full speed. As such, the colonel allowed him a few seconds so as to be able to recover. She had something of a clue about what it could be about. She just hoped that she was correct. The last thing that they needed right now was bad news. She'd had a lifetime's worth of that in the past two weeks. It seemed that every time there was even the faintest hope of things getting better, something else came along to snuff it out plunging the world into ever more darkness. Now, she was simply praying for something, for once, to have gone right. A few gasps later, and her subordinate was able of spitting out what he had to say:

"Your plane's ready."

"Good. Now you get out of here soldier! I want everyone out in five minutes!"

He nodded quickly before darting off, ready to be evacuated himself. Casey lingered for a few seconds on the steps of a building which in a few minutes could very easily no longer exist. She wasn't a particularly sentimental woman, especially when it came to what was essentially a rather large pile of concrete and mortar. It was more the implication behind what the shot could potentially mean which concerned her. After all, if the Mechanic was willing to fire once. There was only International Rescue to prevent him from firing again. They could evacuate a base, just… This was one of these uncomfortably tight situations which she loathed. Remembering that time was short, she began to walk briskly towards the airstrip back inside the base.

She was very much moving against the flow. Those whom she past gave her odd looks. Some even looked as if they were about to protest, perhaps imagining that she might be intending to stay. A quick glare was enough to remind them that they should have been worrying about their own affairs as opposed to questioning her. She knew full well what she was doing, at least she hoped that she did. If not, this would prove to be a catastrophic error of judgement. It was something however that the woman had set her mind upon as she slipped into the cockpit of a small fighter jet. It had been a while since she had sat behind one's controls but something felt right about it. She had little doubt that she would be able to pilot it.

Half way through her checks and preparing to start the engine, a familiar beeping drew her attention. It was with something of an exasperated sigh that she answered the incoming call. The face which greeted her was a stern one. Equipped with a determined frown she had passed on to her son and a look that said that she wasn't about to take any "no" for an answer, Grandma Tracy was probably the only person on the planet who still used an authoritative and occasionally condescending tone to speak to her. It was enough to almost make the commander roll her eyes, were it not for fear of the repercussions:

"Valery, I'm telling you to get out of there now."

"Don't you worry Grandma Tracy. I know what I have to do..."

Her eyes trailed down to the gun on her lap which she was yet to put away in storage for the trip. She just prayed that she wasn't too late.

Sentinel was far more sinister in real life than it had appeared to be on the schematics Brains had shown them, Alan found himself thinking as they approached slowly. It was casing a sinister red glow, at times so bright that he found himself struggling to look at it. There was little doubt in his mind that the laser, once unleashed could very easily level a city. It wasn't simply people exaggerating in order to blow things out of proportion. The notion that it was currently pointing at the GDF's main base in North America, the place where his godmother happened to work, was a truly terrifying notion. He knew what he had to do, they'd gone over the plan several times before this point. Still, as he hovered in space, facing the weapon which had begun all of this mess in the first place, he found fear slowly begin to take hold, bringing with it doubt.

His family had assured him that Scott and Kayo were okay. They were trying to keep radio chatter to a minimum. No sense in cluing the Mechanic in to what they were about to do or rather try to. He found himself fixing the laser with uncertainty. It was nothing that he hadn't done before… It was a difficult task to try and fool himself. His heart was thundering in his chest as he slowly unfastened himself from his seat, pushing himself towards the end of his ship.

The soldier he had found himself trapped with, Randy apparently, followed him carefully. It was quite clear that the man was far from comfortable with any of this. Half of the journey had involved him apologizing for what he had been prepared to do. The other half, begging forgiveness. No amount of assuring him that it was alright seemed to be enough for him. Alan had been exposed to it long enough to realize that the guy was probably going to need some manner of psychiatric assistance when they made it back to Earth. Hopefully a talk with a shrink and a week or so off of work would be enough to put things back together in his mind. He could see the concern plastered all over the man's face as he watched him going to get some of his equipment.

"What's that? A space surfboard?"

"Something like that..." He tried to pay as little attention to the other man as possible.

"Kid- Alan, what are you going to do?"

The youngest Tracy brother let out a sigh. His eyes flickered back to the Sentinel. He wasn't going to have the time to explain everything. That thing would be ready to fire any minute now and when it did, it would mean curtains for all those trapped underneath its beam. He continued to get himself ready. He found it ironic, as he failed to shake away the pain that at one point he had wanted nothing more than to be able to take part in a solo mission. Right now however, he found himself longing for someone to be up there with him. It didn't matter who it was. Any brother or Kayo would do, preferably all of them. He needed them to tell him that he could do this. That he didn't need to be afraid and that they had his back.

"Hopefully… Putting an end to all of this." He cast his eyes back out to the foreboding satellite. "I'm going to destroy that thing."

The Mechanic was almost half way through the door now. He was making surprisingly good progress, cutting through the metal without too much trouble. The stench inside the room was truly unpleasant, prompting the Hood to try and shield his nose using his sleeve. The man was getting nervous. That much was clear. It had become painfully obvious that Thunderbird 2 was not going to make it before the door was down. That knowledge only served to make the man more fractious. He clenched his teeth tightly and paced. It had become very clear that this was not part of his plan. Every now and then, his gaze would turn to rest on the other two people in the room, angry, resentful. There was no mistaking the blame, although Scott tried his hardest to ignore it.

Kayo slept soundly against him. Her chest rose and fell somewhat irregularly. From time to time, her breath would hitch or she would let out a whimper of discomfort. There was only so much that sleep could protect her from. With one arm around her shoulders, he held her close, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder whilst her hands clung on to him seemingly for dear life. He hated it. Not the proximity, his friend's warmth was a welcome one but rather the suffering which caused it to be necessary. She stirred slightly, muttering a few unintelligible words, he wasn't even sure if they were English. He did all he could, shushing her in the hopes that it might serve to calm her. He didn't like the quiet. Ideally, he would much rather have been chatting with her. Anything to take his mind off of the current situation. Thunderbird 1's pilot realized however that his friend's well-being was much more important.

Finally, the man came to a stop, eyes narrowed dangerous as he fixed them:

"They're never going to make it on time..."

"I know that." It was a fact he'd been acutely aware of for some time now.

"So much for your International Rescue." There was a cruel mockery behind the statement which only served to irritate Scott.

"Well, maybe if we hadn't had to spend so much time cleaning after your mess we would have been better prepared!" It was a struggle not to raise his voice. "You're the one who teamed up with him! The way I see it, you've only got yourself to blame!"

The man's expression turned cold. Up until that point, they had been tolerating one another. A mixture of their shared enemy and perhaps also Tanusha's suffering had been enough to convince both parties to put asides their differences. It was a ceasefire as opposed to peace. Now however, trapped and backed up against a wall, tempers had begun to flare once more. There was a lot for both parties to dislike about the other. Scott hadn't forgotten who this man was and more importantly what he'd done. Not all that long ago, he'd tried to kill them for the only purpose of furthering his own goals. He was the one who was responsible for what had happened to their father. Had things been somewhat different, Scott imagined himself being far more ferocious with his accusations. As it was, he was trying desperately hard to keep a level-head. If nothing else, he didn't want to risk waking Kayo.

Already, he had begun to regret his words. The Hood was clever. Good at turning situations around. He wasn't someone to pick a fight with unless you were sure to win. As such, the eldest of the brothers found himself hoping that he would chose to remain silent rather than get drawn into an argument. A crisped expression, teeth clenched informed him that he was unlikely to be that fortunate:

"You and your precious International Rescue have made me a very desperate man." The concession was somewhat unexpected. A cold smirk made its way onto his face however as he huffed with amusement. "I thought that maybe if I cut off the serpent's head, I might be able to stop the beast. Unfortunately, it grew another one. I wonder how your brothers will limp on when you lie dead?"

Anger coursed through Scott's veins as he stared into the eyes of the man who had caused Jeff Tracy's crash. He had spent a very long time planning what he would do to the Hood when he found himself face to face with him. On his darker days, he'd found himself dreaming of taking the man's life, the same way that he had so coldly taken that of their father and countless others. The opportunity had never presented itself however. When Kayo had managed to foil her uncle's plans to take the Thunderbirds for himself, the man had been kept under careful surveillance by the entire family until the GDF had turned up which hadn't taken too long. As such, the opportunity to get even had never presented itself. Later, he had told himself that it was probably a good thing. As much as he might want something, it could equally be something he came to regret.

The feelings he had thought buried when the man had been locked behind bars resurfaced violently. Like an electric current, they passed through his body causing it to tense up. He formed his fists, a part of him screaming at him to strike this man. If they were going to die, then he could at least get the vengeance he had been longing for for so long now. It was a cry of a different kind which stopped him however. Next to him, Kayo let out a yelp. He'd tightened his grip on her without even realizing it, crushing her. Instantly, with a somewhat alarmed gasp, he loosened his hold on her. She breathed heavily, recovering. Somehow, she managed to stay asleep despite it. Pain lingered on her face for a couple of seconds before once more she relaxed.

An uncomfortable silence settled in. One with bitter regret for Scott. Tentatively, he rubbed her shoulder with his thumb trying to comfort her. Even her uncle's eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly, it was compassion, as much of it as he was capable of. When they changed to rest on him, it was a cold anger which occupied them. His words were cold, cruel, unforgiving:

"What was done to her, that's on you."

"What?!" His mouth turned dry as he struggled to respond, the anger returning once more. "Just how do you-"

"Come on Tracy! Look at yourself, there's barely a scratch on you! Did it never occur to you that the Mechanic would be watching you? Looking for the slightest sign of weakness?!" It was almost a yell, not quite but there was no denying the fury lying just underneath. "I saw the GDF file relating to your arrests. Did you really think there wouldn't be consequences for bedding my niece?"

The muscles in his jaw ached from how hard he found himself to be clenching it. He wanted to scream that the man didn't know what he was talking about. That it was all a lie. More than anything, he wanted the Hood to shut up. He was wrong. They hadn't- The Mechanic's taunting words from a few hours earlier came back to him. _You care about her…_ There was no doubt that the Mechanic had picked up on that very simple fact. He'd used it against him, perhaps rightly assuming that the suffering of someone he cared about – dare, he say it loved – would be more difficult for him to bear than any amount of pain that could be afflicted on him physically. Slowly, his eyes trailed down to look at the young woman, still sleeping soundly against him. Was this really his fault or would it have happened regardless?

The way he looked back up at the man must have been telling. His doubt made obvious. Instead of the cruel taunting look he had been expecting, he found himself facing only anger. It occurred to him right at that moment, that perhaps instead of simply facing their old enemy the Hood, he was also in front of Tanusha Kyrano's uncle. As much as they both might regret it at times, they were still blood. There weren't many Kyranos left in the world. There had to be some kind of a bond there, no matter how much both parties resented it. Faced with blame, Scott struggled to muster enough of his wits to defend himself. For all of his trying, his mouth half open, words refusing to come. When he finally did feel as if he might be able to speak, the Hood was quick to cut him short:

"He knew how to get to you and it was through her. Had you played your cards a little closer to your chest, she wouldn't be in this situation."

"I- Kayo and I..." He swallowed trying to gather his thoughts together. His response was as a result somewhat simplistic. "That's not true."

"Isn't it? Well, Scott Tracy, you have Tanusha Kyrano's blood on your hands, I'll leave it at that."

He frowned but said nothing. Slowly, he found his gaze drifting down to his hands. He hadn't realized that they were wet. There was blood there. He hadn't even noticed it. Much of it was dry but some was still liquid. He stared down at it them in horror, gawking at the substance as if he had never laid eyes on it before. He shouldn't have been surprised, she was injured. He'd been touching her, trying to comfort her. He found himself to be trembling. Fear, shock… It could have been either. The Hood looked away, no doubt feeling that he had made his point. Scott closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything other than the world around him. His brothers would save them, they just had to…

There had once been a thrill to flying through space. Alan remembered how Scott and John had first brought him up here. They'd shown him the ropes, just as their father had done to them. He'd quickly found them overbearing. Preferring to work things out himself as opposed to having to listen to the constant repeats of certain procedures and in particular his eldest brother's initial reluctance to let him to anything more than the most basic and simple missions. Right now however, he found himself rather missing their voices. They didn't need to be telling him what to do but he could have done with hearing them to know that he wasn't alone. It would have been a much needed comfort. He hoped that when all of this was over and they were reunited, space would no longer seem such a cold and desolate place and that some of the thrill and wonder would return.

In his hands, he held the tiny device close to his heart. It was their last chance. The only way they had to stop Sentinel. He was probably clutching it too tightly. His nerves were such that he couldn't help it, no matter how hard he tried to control himself. He found it to be better than the alternative which was shaking. Every now and then, he would cast his glance back to ensure that his ship was still there. He wouldn't have enough time to make it out just on his board. He would need Thunderbird 3's thrusters to get him safety. He was so far away now that he couldn't even make out the face of the GDF soldier who had been staring through the window, watching him with an unmistakable amount of concern as he had ventured closer and closer to the satellite.

The temperature was rising. Unsurprising, the closer he got to Sentinel as it powered up, the more difficult it became to tolerate. He knew roughly what his spacesuit could take and what would be pushing it too far. It wasn't quite something that they had taken into account when coming up with their plan. They had rather been hoping to be able to implement it before the giant death laser was powered up. Circumstances had forced them to do otherwise. Given where it was pointing, they had little choice but to act now if they wanted to avoid any casualties. If they waited any longer, he might be spotted which would make disabling the satellite almost impossible. That was if he was lucky enough to escape with his life. The last thing they wanted to do was risk cluing the Mechanic into their plans.

This was it. All or nothing.

It was difficult to ignore his heart pounding in his chest, as he finally drew near to the satellite. He knew what he had to do. It had been explained thoroughly several times to him. As he approached the control panel on the side of the machine, he found sweat to be pouring off of his brow. He would have to bear it. In an odd way, it reminded him of his first encounter with Ned Tedford when they had gotten just a little too close to the sun… This thing certainly seemed to be burning with a similar intensity.

He moved slowly as he set up the device. There would be security systems. Motion detectors or something similar. One wrong move and it could easily be the end. Even knowing that it would mean little given that he was wearing a spacesuit, he found himself holding his breath. Summoning all of his courage and self-control to keep his hands steady as he ensured that everything was properly wired up. His brothers and father had taught him techniques for how to keep cool under pressure, whether or not they had ever had anything quite like this in mind when they had done so, he didn't know. It was some of Kayo's meditation which he found to be the most helpful however as step by step, he set up their own little bomb.

His instinct was to get away as quickly as possible. To scream that it was done. The knowledge that he still wasn't quite out of range of the satellite's defence systems was enough to keep any notion he might have had about getting excited in check. He remained at a steady and cautious pace as he made his way back to Thunderbird 3, ensuring that he didn't travel too quickly as risk appearing as a blip on the Mechanic's radar. As he went, he allowed himself to bring up Thunderbird 5's frequency. Just waiting to be able to make the call.

Not quite… Almost… Now.

"John! Do it!"

"You get out of there Alan!" Regardless of how eager they were to be done with the thing, concern for his brother overrode everything else.

"On it bro!" Came the youngest's voice as he boarded his craft once more.

"Alright…" The Space Monitor raised his turquoise eyes to the AI. "EOS?"

"Overriding Sentinel's programming and overloading systems..." Came the automated childish voice.

The rain fell from the sky. The drizzle was more than slightly unpleasant for Virgil as he stood there. His eyes fixed firmly on the bunker. Stuck into the side of the hill the way it was, it looked a mixture of dark and foreboding. A cold fortress that suited its main occupant. They would never be able to approach it conventionally without Thunderbird S. They had landed as near as possible. The Mechanic would know they were coming. No sense in hiding their presence. With his arms folded across his chest, he found himself praying that they were in time. Behind him, he heard Gordon emerge with one of the modules, configured for digging. He had begun to configure it before they had even touched down. It trundled out slowly, coming to a stop just next to him.

He was about to speak when the sky lit up. It was just a second, a bright red flash which seemed to shine like a second sun. Then, nothing… It returned to normal. Either Sentinel had just fired or it had been destroyed. The second eldest decided against calling to find out. They would discover the truth in their own time. All that mattered right now was saving their family. Shaking his head, he brought himself together. Turning to meet his brother. He didn't say a word as he climbed into cockpit behind his brother and settled into his seat. Gordon began to process of digging down, following the schematics and instructions they had been given. They had a plan, a way to rescue their loved ones.

It should be relatively simple digging until…

The entire pod shook as the end of the drill came into contact with the concrete. It was enough to knock both brothers around a bit. Gordon gritted his teeth, refusing allow the craft to slow. Sparks flew as they began to make their way into the actual structure of the bunker. The progress would be relatively slow from here on out. Nothing they hadn't anticipated, after all, the GDF's precursors had designed the facility so that it was almost impossible to penetrate. Gordon, despite the proximity, found himself forced to yell in order to be heard:

"How long is this going to take?"

"About eight minutes!" His brother continued to study the schematics.

"Is that going to be in time?" Fear continued to linger inside of him.

"We'll soon find out..."


	22. Chapter 22

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and sorry for the delay. This chapter turned out longer than I thought it would. I got caught up by real life..._**

 ** _/_**

The metal frame of the door was only just hanging on as the last few inches of steel melted away under the intense heat. It had caused the temperature inside of the small room to rise to a level which was somewhat uncomfortable.

A man paced up and down furiously in a small circle. His rage was obvious. Frustration both at being trapped and with what seemed like the now inevitable outcome. His two companions in captivity were far more sedate. The young man lost in his thoughts and the young woman too damaged to care about his actions. This only seemed to make the situation more unbearable for him. There had been only a handful of words passed between them since they had first become trapped. The company wasn't exactly the sort to encourage long and idle chats. Their predicament was only liable to cause tempers to run even higher than they already had. Despite their shared knowledge that this could very easily be their last few moments which they were living, they weren't much inclined to try and vocalize that knowledge and any concerns they might have about it.

None of them were fools. They all knew that the door coming down would only spell their doom one way or another. Even if they weren't killed outright, a distinct possibility. Scott knew that neither he nor Kayo would be able to take much more punishment. The reasons for that were different for both of them. As far as the head of security was concerned, her body was nearing its limit. Already, he could tell that a part of her was considering calling it quits. If they went back to the same endurance test she had been put through before they had been rescued, he was far from convinced that she would last another day. As for him, he was simply tired. Exhausted… Everything seemed to have grouped together to form an unbearable weight which now rested on his shoulders and he was unsure he would be able to shake. It left them both sitting there, defeated in different ways and awaiting their fate.

Kayo rested her head against Scott's shoulder. They had made the choice to wake her up a few minutes ago when it had become apparent that the door didn't have long left. It had been her uncle the one to do it. A quick and direct order which had earned him a glare but nothing else. Her friend had changed whilst she was asleep. She didn't know what had caused it. Almost anyone else and she would have assumed that it was simply a result of them fearing for their life. The eldest brother however was different. She found it hard to believe that he would allow fear to dominate him so much. There was a terrible pain behind his blue eyes which refused to meet hers. She couldn't question him, not in front of her uncle. As such, she had been forced to resort to somewhat more subtle tactics. She pressed her cheek against him, trying to earn at least an acknowledgement. He remained seemingly impassive, barely even registering her presence.

Her eyes flickered back over to her uncle, the man continued to pace. She half expected him to manage to make a little trench through the constant going back and forth like some of the characters in the cartoons she had once watched as a little girl had done. It was somewhat exhausting simply to watch him. It was as if his frustration somehow managed to infect her as well. She looked away, closing her eyes as she struggled to try and find a position where she could rest. Everything was painful, her skin burned and her muscles felt as if they contained battery acid. Even breathing was proving to be a somewhat unpleasant activity. Only exhaustion served to mute some of the pain. She was unwilling to give into sleep however, knowing full-well that waking up might prove to be a challenge. The current weakness that had over taken her, preventing her from moving more than a couple of inches was something which she could have done without.

Where was their rescue? It didn't seem to matter all that much any more. All three of them had come to roughly the same conclusion. Unless there was some form of a miracle, help wouldn't make it in time. That would inevitably leave them at the mercy of the Mechanic. All parties had already been given proof enough to know that their foe had little to none of that. Whether they would be killed or simply be treated to yet another bout of captivity was the only real question which any of them had. Arguments for both existed but they chose not to wonder about it. No sense troubling themselves with potential eventualities. At least that was what Kayo told herself.

The Hood's constant pacing however was getting difficult to ignore. It was no longer something to be contemplated mindlessly. His irritation only added to her own. It would seem that right up until their last breaths, the man was determined to make himself as much of a nuisance to her as humanly possible. She let out a groan, trying to summon what remained of her strength so as to speak up:

"You should be proud uncle… You'll die a hero saving the world."

"Oh shut up!"

His response caused her to snort with amusement, an action she promptly regretted as her chest seemed to contract suddenly without her wanting it. It was enough to stir Scott from his own thoughts. He glanced down with concern, placing a hand on her shoulder. She had tensed up to an extent where he found himself wondering if she was breathing at all. Just as panic was beginning to set in, she took a much needed gasp of air. Softly, the eldest of the brothers rubbed her arm. Silently, encouraging her to keep on going. It was a few shaky breaths later that she was finally able to calm down enough to recover to a somewhat normal rhythm. Her only comfort came from her friend. A young man who now seemed to be somewhat distant, without her understanding why.

It wasn't Scott's intention to cause pain or discomfort to someone he cared for so much as a pained realization that he was at least partly to blame for the situation. Had he never revealed the location of Tracy Island to the GDF and simply trusted Kayo's ability to handle her uncle, they would never had been able to find them and it would never have been necessary to abandon the island. They could all have all been together instead of scattered… The Hood was right, he was also in part to blame for what had happened to the man's niece. Had he kept his feelings a little closer to his chest and not allowed her to go running off on her own in the woods, then they likely wouldn't have been captured and she wouldn't have been tortured. How could he look her in the eye with that knowledge? Now, the chances were that these would be their last few moments one way or another. Sitting there, he struggled to get the image of her screaming as an electric current was passed through her system. The image remained plastered behind his eyelids whilst the cry continued echoing through his ears.

"Scott? Are you okay?"

She could see into him. That's what it felt like as she looked up at him. Her green eyes were dull and faint but still somehow managed to harbour some concern for him. Head of security, perhaps the title extended a little beyond just their physical safety. He let out a sigh, wondering just how on Earth he was supposed to explain what was weighing so heavily on his shoulders. Now wasn't the time, especially not with the Hood hanging around, only too able to hear what he had to say. The words stuck at the back of his throat. For a moment, it felt as if tears might be about to come. His eyes flicked around the room, trying to settle anywhere but on the young woman. Seeing her like this proved to be a rather painful experience for him. Despite that however, after a few moments, he found himself compelled to turn back to her. His voice trembled as he muttered quietly:

"I'm sorry Kayo. Sorry for everything."

"Like this is all your fault..." There was a pause as she winced with pain, her body demanding rest which she wasn't about to allow it. "You've done more than enough."

"He'll be through any moment." Scott's eyes fell upon the door, she couldn't quite see it from her current position. "What do you want to do?"

He knew in his heart what she wanted to do. If she could, Kayo would fight. Fight until she could literally give no more and her heart stopped beating. She would die here and now, if she thought this was it and he was certain that she would give the Mechanic a run for his money. If only she could stand. He could feel how heavy she was. Each of her breaths was a chore. If simply staying alive was this much of a struggle, then he found himself wondering if even the resilient head of security would be able to mount much of a defence in the face of what was likely to come through that door. She was level-headed enough to think logically about it. Hence why he was asking her opinion. She closed her eyes, groaning softly.

To his surprise, the Hood gave up his routine pacing and stopped, green eyes fixed coldly upon the two of them. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was thoroughly hacked off with this entire situation. As such, it didn't come as much of a surprise when he spoke, almost like a child throwing a tantrum and claiming that " _it wasn't fair_ ":

"He'll either kill all three of us or more likely kill two and use the third as a hostage. He won't be able to bend anyone's arm handing behind me. So it'll be one of you two and I have to say one of you is looking very vulnerable right now."

Scott's eyes slowly drifted down to the young woman resting against him. In a bizarre turn of fates, there was no doubting that she was the most at risk. Whilst she would fight to the bitter end, it was also true that she was no longer a match for their captor. As ferocious as the Mechanic was, on balance, on an ordinary day, the eldest of the brothers would have backed International Rescue's head of security in a fight. Beatings and whatever the hell she'd had forcibly pumped through her system had taken their toll leaving her weak, battling simply to remain conscious and in too much pain to realistically mount anything more than a token defence. She would be a relatively easy target. If he knew it then so would their enemy and so did Kayo. Her green eyes dulled considerably as she fixed the space in front of her mindlessly for a moment or so. Very slowly, she shook her head negatively:

"I won't live that long… I'm n-not a viable prisoner if he's on the run. Besides-" She winced stopped suddenly as she clenched her chest as if under attack from some unseen force.

"Don't talk." He'd lost count of how many times he'd told her and she'd ignored him. Once more, she she shook her head defiantly.

"I'm not going to let him drag me back into that cell and-" Her voice was raised, struggling to avoid screaming before it abruptly trailed off this time stopped by a different kind of pain. "I'd rather die."

A part of him wanted to scold her for those words. Her life wasn't something to be chucked around lightly. On the other hand, he found himself understanding just where she was coming from. He held her a little closer, allowing her to tuck her head under his chin. He ignored the cold and resentful look that he got from the young woman's uncle. He suspected that if the Hood bit his tongue and didn't say anything it was because it was Tanusha seeking his comfort as opposed to him offering it. Not even he was about to make a scene right now. Instead, he turned away, looking decidedly put out as he did so. Blue eyes drifted back over to the door. They didn't have long left. He found himself clinging to the only peace of familiarity in the room, that was to say Kayo. Just as she held onto his shirt, fingers gripping hold of the fabric as if he was a lifesaver tossed out into a stormy sea.

Scott closed his eyes. He dared to dream that they were back on Tracy Island. The sun was coming up. He could hear Virgil playing a sedate melody on the piano whilst Gordon completed his morning laps. Alan was nowhere to be seen, still sleeping soundly on the floor. John told them it wasn't necessary to wake him, the world was safe. Well… It would be if it weren't for the fact that Grandma had just finished baking a load of cookies. Brains had already fallen victim after failing to escape in time. If Kayo was snuggled up to him, it wasn't because she was in pain but simply because she wanted the company. It was a painful thought to get through his head that those days may very well be over for him now. His family was safe, it was possible to take a fair amount of comfort from that one. Had he been alone, he would probably have been a great deal happier with the outcome, even chalking it down as a win. His one bitter regret was that Tanusha Kyrano not only had suffered but likely was going to meet her end here along side him. His own death was something that for lack of a better way of expressing the notion, he could live with. His friend however was different. Even as they sat there both knowing what was coming, he found himself struggling to think of a way to somehow save her.

She wouldn't have it. He knew that. Still, he couldn't help but try and think of a way to try and save her. Unfortunately, he felt that in the past few hours he knew better than to expect any mercy from the Mechanic. There was a sudden clank from the door as the last half inch of metal slowly began to give way. He let out a sigh, there was no time for putting matters off any longer. He rested a hand on Kayo's cheek for a moment before speaking softly:

"Come on. Lets go down with our heads held high."

She nodded, offering him a slight smile which failed to mask her pain. As gently as he could, he slipped his arms around the young woman and helped pull her up. He could see her legs shaking and trembling as once more she was required to bear her own weight. In response, he put one arm around her shoulders physically holding her so that she didn't fall. Kayo shifted slightly, struggling to find a position which would allow her to stand, no matter how clumsy or undignified it might appear to be. Eventually, she seemed to be able to remain standing if nothing else, she needed to lean against him to remain stable. In some ways, it reminded him of Alan when he was reintroduced to gravity after an especially long haul in space. Next to him, the young woman peeped up in a hushed voice:

"Any regrets?"

For some reason, the question made him laugh. It wasn't much, a brief quiet and dry chuckle. They didn't have enough time for him to list everything he wished he could have done or wanted to do differently. Perhaps top of the list was that he hadn't been able to say goodbye to his loved ones, then there was the uncertainty of what would become of them after he was gone, he'd liked the idea of having a family of his own and further down the list an infinite amount of smaller things which he would now never be able to do. Laughter was simply a way of denying the pain. He responded a few moments afterwards:

"Only a lifetime's worth… You?"

"I wish I could give him a better show." There was a slight pause and then she smiled of all things. "And you never did loose that darned beard."

"I promise, first thing I'll do is shave it for you."

On the island, in the afterlife, it didn't matter which one it was. He'd accept anything to lighten the atmosphere right now. The Hood came closer as the two of them as the door came down. Perhaps even he, as cold as he was, wanted to feel as if he wasn't quite alone. There was a mixture of dust and smoke which prevented them from seeing just what lay on the other side of the doorway. Scott found himself holding his breath. Those few seconds of waiting seemed to become an eternity. He felt Kayo rest herself against him a bit more, perhaps anticipating a volley of bullets. Reaching out, he took her hand, their fingers intertwining.

The mechs charged quickly out of the shadows causing Scott and the Hood to instinctively back off. Only Kayo remained motionless, her eyes focused solely on the figure of their tormentor as he emerged. There was no ignoring the fury, the unbridled rage as he stormed in behind two of his creations and she was afraid. It took him a second to pick up on it but there was no mistaking the terror on her face as she fixed him. He'd never seen it before, never so clear. He suspected that it was somewhat out of her control. He hadn't witnessed some of the horrors she had been exposed to. Her mind was telling her to keep her distance, reminding her of the pain she was in and that this man had caused it. His gaze rested coldly upon her, no doubt homing in on her fear. When he finally did speak, it was in a harsh and vaguely mocking tone:

"Still going to kill me?"

"You stay away from her!" Scott found himself practically screaming as he positioned himself between the Mechanic and the young woman.

"If that's your plan niece then you have my full support."

Kayo said nothing, he felt her grip on his hand tighten. There was a part of Scott which just wanted to go for it and try his luck at taking the man down. He would never make it. The mechs would kill him before then. They would tear him apart. It would be worth it though if he could just land a single punch. He stopped himself. He would have to let go of Tanusha's hand before then. A brief glance back to the woman told him that he simply couldn't leave her alone, not right now. Fear slowly began to grip him, his heart thundered in his chest. The fact that they were simply waiting seemed to be unbearable, not knowing if he was going to have his mechs kill them or not. Perhaps that was the point, to let terror and panic settle in before he made his move.

Surely, this man must have known that a rescue party was coming for them. Every second he spent idle or trying to make some kind of a point was one more for the other brothers to arrive. Unless that was part of his plan? The mere thought caused Scott's blood to run cold. Could this all have been some elaborate trap? Were yet more of the Tracy family rushing towards their deaths. He didn't have time to ponder the matter any further as the Mechanic spoke to him, not to Kayo or the Hood, his voice low, making no attempt to hide the anger or menace underneath it:

"You've ruined my plans, you're lucky I still have a use for one of you. Come quietly and I'll spare your friend."

"Over my dead body..." Kayo's fear seemed to have been pushed back as she managed somehow to sound threatening despite everything.

"Half way there, don't you think?" His eyes narrowed as he fixed the young woman.

She straightened herself, wiping some of the blood which was making its way out of the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. She clenched her fists, adopting a fighting stance. It was heavier and less graceful than those he'd seen her adopt in the past. It was the best that she could manage in her current state. Next to her, her uncle did the same. More refined, no doubt in better form than his niece. Scott did the same, raising his fists. He'd been given some training by the head of security but wouldn't claim to be half as good a fighter as she usually was. He would fight none-the-less, go down with his head held high as it were. If nothing else, he wanted to show this man that he wasn't going to win this one and he most definitely wasn't about to allow himself to be used as a hostage against his own family.

He wasn't too sure what happened next. It was simply too fast for him to register. Something large and metallic collided with him knocking him clean off of his feet. He hit the flour roughly, the wind knocked out of him by a single blow. Dazed, he lay there for a moment wondering just what on Earth had happened. Had he been shot? No, there wasn't enough pain. He was brought to by something heavy weighing down upon him. Shaking his head, he was able to get his vision back into focus. He found himself looking up at a mech. The machine pinned him down, its large electric stinger raised ready to end his life. With a gasp, he struggled desperately to free himself. In an odd way, it reminded him of the times that Virgil had sat on him during their fighting bouts back on the island. Metal and wires replaces flesh and muscle to form a weight which he simply couldn't shift. Panic began to set in. Surely it couldn't end like this.

Kayo rushed to his aid. Despite her injuries, she grabbed a hold of the electric stinger, pulling backwards with all of her strength. He could see her teeth clenched as she continued to push her body far further than it was intended to be pushed. She wasn't strong enough to pull it off of him but she could buy him some seconds. Taking a deep breath, Scott summoned what remained of his strength to get his legs underneath the machine. He gave it a powerful kick, knocking it flying backwards and sending his friend crashing to the floor in the process. He sat bolt upright, eager to recover before another mech had the time to attack. His eyes fell upon the Hood, the man was struggling to hold back the other machine. Fists clenched, he contented himself with simply batting it away whenever once came close. It was unwilling to charge in, apparently fearing that it might give him an opening.

The head of security struggled to pick herself up. Lying on her side, she had succeeded in propping herself up on her elbow but could seemingly manage little else. She turned to him, silently begging for assistance. He nodded once, getting to his feet. That blow had knocked the wind out of him. In the corner of the room, the mech flipped itself over preparing to charge once more into the fray. Scott formed his fists once more. He wasn't about to be taken by surprise a second time. He would have to avoid that stinger. With no weapons, he doubted he would be able to stop the machine. Not unless he could get at the wiring. That would be a challenge given that it was well protected. Much like the Hood, he contented himself with swatting away the stinger when it lashed out at him. His reflexes were slower than they ordinarily would have been but not so much so that he couldn't defend him. The problem was that muscles could only match steel for so long before they got tired and wore down. Then, it would be too late.

"Scott!"

It was a desperate and panicked cry for help, the likes of which he had never heard Kayo produce before. She was struggling tooth and nail, her strength already spent ten times over, in an attempt to stop the Mechanic. The man had grabbed her. With one arm around her waste keeping her arms in check and the other wrapped around her throat threatening to cut off her oxygen supply, he was dragging her away. The young woman had dug her heels in as best as she could in an attempt to stop him. Her weakness however was showing as her movements seemed to be no more than a minor nuisance to the man who continued to drag her back into the corridor. He turned, refusing to let her be taken, not again.

He could see the fear in his friend's eyes. He couldn't abandon her. The Mechanic raised his gaze to see him charge over. Behind him, he heard the mech give chase. It managed to overtake him. With a single bound, it positioned itself in front of him, cutting him off from his friend. He only just managed to jump back in time to avoid its stinger. His attention only lingered on the machine for a second before raising themselves to see Kayo. She was putting up one hell of a fight, despite everything. He tried to step around the mech which had obviously been given the order to hold him off, kill him if possible but the most important thing was to allow its creator to escape with a hostage. Try as he might, Scott couldn't find a way around the scorpion-like machine. Every move he made, it seemed to be able to counter. All the while, Tanusha was being dragged further away and now found herself in the doorway.

She looked at him, silently pleading for help. No doubt she knew that if she was indeed dragged off, she could only look forwards to more suffering. Her words came back to him suddenly. Death was something she had chosen as opposed to being a prisoner any longer than she already had. Now it looked as if that choice might have be about to be taken away from her. Growing desperate, Scott tried once more to jump around the machine. Once more, it anticipated his move positioning itself in front of him. He cursed loudly, eyes flashing back up to his friend.

Then everything suddenly just seemed to stop. It was as if someone somewhere pushed the off switch. Only the Mechanic seemed to know why. He turned around slowly so as to face the colonel and the gun now aiming at his head. He dragged his captive with him, forcing her neck into such an awkward angle that Scott was certain that he could hear some of the bones begin to creak and complain. It was a wonder that she could even breathe. The man showed no fear, despite the weapon, perhaps telling himself that his prisoner protected him from any potential shots. Casey kept her weapon raised, her demeanour calm and in control. Her words however when spoken each carried a particular note of menace, one which didn't even attempt to hide her loathing for the man:

"Get the hell away from my godchildren!"

If anything, his only response was to tighten his grip, choking Kayo who let out a brief cry. Still, Casey remained a woman made out of steel. She didn't look at the young woman, keeping her gaze fixed solely on the man. Everything around them seemed to have stopped. Scott could only stare, his heart thundering in his chest. He wanted to come to their aid. To sneak up behind the Mechanic and knock him out so that he might release his captive. Unfortunately, although the mech had stopped its attack, it was still blocking him from being able to reach his friend and their rescuer. He was powerless but to watch and see just how things unfolded. In many ways, he was grateful that it was Casey who had come for them. She was experienced enough to know what to do at times like this, maintaining a cool and level-head despite the seriousness of the situation. It was the Mechanic who spoke first, jerking his prisoner to enforce his point:

"One more step and I'll snap her neck."

"Let her breathe." By contrast, the colonel's request seemed almost impossibly relaxed, somehow removed from reality of what was happening.

It must have paid off however as a second later there was a loud gasp as the head of security filled her lungs once more with much needed oxygen. The coughs which followed were muffled somewhat by the man who continued to maintain a considerable amount of pressure on her throat. In doing so, he ensured that she couldn't fight back as well as maintaining the threat. It took a fair amount of strength to break a neck, that and the knowledge of just how to do so. Unfortunately, the Mechanic was a pretty big man and Scott had little doubt that he knew full well how to kill someone with his bare hands. The woman clawed at his arm, desperately trying to get him to loosen his grip. Her struggling, although fruitless, barely even seemed to register with the man who ignored her, his attention focused on colonel Casey.

Despite the fact that she clearly wasn't looking in his direction, he found himself silently begging for her to do something, anything to rescue his friend, her god-daughter. He tried to tell himself that she had been here before. Perhaps not in this exact situation but she knew how to handle hostages. Still, there was a part of him screaming for him to try to do something, anything… Nobody here could last much longer. Finally, Kayo managed to croak out despite the pressure and her no doubt aching throat:

"Do it..."

For the first time, the colonel's eyes travelled down to Kayo. Despite everything, there was enough presence and will behind the green orbs of the head of security to make it clear that she knew full-well what was going on. She closed her eyes, seemingly anticipating what was to come. Casey remained made of stone, focusing once more on their captor. It was hard to imagine how he could possibly make it out of this one, hence the hostage. Evidently he was putting all of his faith in the knowledge that the colonel was unlikely to endanger her only god-daughter's life through a careless shot. She didn't lower her gun, nor did she fire it. She kept it aimed between the man's eyes, barely a couple of feet away. If he was afraid, he didn't show it.

It was a terrible gamble: assuming that his own life meant more to him than potentially scoring a point by ending his captive's. If it had been the Hood they were dealing with then Scott might have been more inclined to risk it. Given the Mechanic's relative unpredictability however the situation made him more than a little nervous. Maybe the colonel simply assumed that Kayo would rather be dead than the man's prisoner. If that was the case, she might not be entirely wrong.

The ground shook. It wasn't much at first, just a vague tremble. Scott barely even realized it given the seemingly more important matters going on around him. It was only when the rumbling became somewhat more violent but also paradoxically familiar that he lowered his gaze to the ground as the concrete began to crack. The source of the disturbance was located almost directly under their enemy's feet. The man stumbled a bit as a drill abruptly emerged, ultimately knocking him back. Casey didn't waste a second. Putting her own safety asides completely, the colonel leaped forwards and grabbed Kayo firmly, yanking her away from her attacking with a single motion. Both women tumbled backwards as the mole erupted into the room. The older of the two held her god-daughter close, trying to shield her as much as possible. Scott for his own part only had to step back to ensure he wasn't injured.

Everything seemed to stand still for a moment as the dust settled. Relief gradually began to wash over Scott as he recognised the module. He couldn't help but smile, even faintly as the cockpit opened and Gordon jumped down. The second youngest of the brothers was armed with a crowbar. Just why he had thought it necessary to bring one along was beyond him. It wasn't until he rushed over and brought it down on the mech which had been troubling him for so long that its purpose became a little clearer. Kayo had mentioned something about the tools being surprisingly efficient when it came to dealing with the Mechanic's creations. The aquanaut was certainly being thorough, brining the lump of metal down again and again until there wasn't much more than pieces of scrap and sparking wires left. From the pod, Virgil called out:

"You got him Gordon! Everyone, in now!"

It was hard to argue with that. Somewhat reluctantly, Gordon charged over to help the Hood out with his mech who seemed to be both more aggressive and rather more stubborn. For his part, Scott ventured slowly round to the back of the module to the door where both Tanusha and the colonel were. Casey gently tried to coax the girl to her feet, aware that it was a big ask. Kayo groaned shaking from head to foot as she tried to summon what remained of her strength. Not waiting a moment later, the eldest brother rushed over. He slipped an arm around Kayo's shoulders and with the GDF commander's help half dragged and half carried the young woman. She took clumsy baby-steps in an attempt to assist them, unable to even raise her head. Somehow, they managed to get her over to the mole. He supported her whilst Casey climbed into the back and helped the injured head of security in.

In the back, Kayo simply collapsed. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she was being saved which allowed her to seemingly abandon completely. Breathing irregularly, the colonel pulled her closer, letting her rest her head on the older woman's lap as she gently ran a hand through her matted dark hair, telling her that she was safe.

Were they though?

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He peered out from the back of the transport unit. The Mechanic was gradually getting to his feet. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was far from done it would seem. Gritting his teeth, Scott prepared to abandon his temporary safety and try and buy them some more time. It was only then that he noticed something somewhat unusual. The man's left arm was bent at an impossible angle, half of it seemed to be dangling down, useless. The mere sight caused him to want to puke. Yet he didn't seem to be in any pain. Slowly, their tormentor turned around to fix them, anger filling his eyes as he began his approach. Were those sparks coming from his wrist?

He didn't have time to ponder the matter any further as without warning, Gordon swung his crowbar into the side of the man's head. In an instant, he crumpled to the floor, useless. A scream of horror caught in the back of Scott's throat. It never erupted however as he noticed something. Despite the blow which had so obviously crushed the Mechanic's skull, there was no blood. Cheeks flushed red, the rage behind Gordon was both uncharacteristic and uncontrolled:

"A God damn robot! It was a God damn robot this whole time!"

"No… -was him." Kayo somehow managed to peep up, she closed her eyes obviously struggling to remain conscious, her head still lying on the Colonel's lap. "-can't fake… Touch, skin, pain..."

"Shh..." The woman placed a hand on her god-daughter's forehead, stroking it slowly in a soothing motion. "Don't you worry about that."

"It was the real Mechanic..." Scott recalled his few interactions with the man. "He must have switched when you guys set us free."

"Doesn't matter." Virgil left little room for argument as he began heading back down the tunnel they had created. "We've got to get you guys home..."

Home… To a hospital more like. In the back of the module, for the first time in days, Scott felt himself relax. Relax was the wrong word. More like the stress and strain evaporated leaving him drained, utterly spent. He couldn't take his eyes off of Kayo. If she wasn't unconscious, she was pretty darn near it, whimpering softly with every breath, an unpleasant reminder that she was in pain. He closed his eyes, remembering every second of the anguish he had witnessed. That was going to haunt him for some time… A terrible melody of scream to accompany his nightmares. He brought his hand to his head, feeling himself slowly slip away into some distant realm. Slowly the vibrations of the motor and even the light from the sun seemed to no longer register.

Next to him, Gordon wasn't much inclined to try and bring him back to his senses. The rage had vanished, as had the adrenaline from the fight. Instead, he could only wonder: what now? He would call John as soon as possible. One look at Kayo told him they wouldn't be heading back to Tracy Island any time soon. She needed a doctor and some serious medical attention. This was more than even Virgil could realistically be asked to handle. He'd call John. Allow him to explain the situation. After that… He tried to tell himself that everything would be alright. Unlike regular missions, they would simply have to wait a while for the recovery process to be over…

A click brought him out of his own thoughts.

The Hood slipped off of the back of the module before it had come to a complete stop. There was a cold smirk occupying his features as he held the gun to them. They remained frozen, unable to move. Only Casey seemed to look down to the holster around her waist, realizing it was empty. When or how he had acquired her gun wasn't all that important to them, not so much as the fact he had it loaded and aimed at them. Slowly, however, the criminal began to back away heading away from Thunderbird 2. The rain was still falling heavily from the sky, drenching him and forcing him to shout so as to be heard:

"I think I'll take my leave from you boys. Now that the heroics are over! Consider our partnership resolved. If you follow, I will shoot!"

He turned around ready to dash off into the forest. No doubt some of his followers could and would be able to pick him up in a few hours, if not less. At worst, he would be a little wet. Ultimately however, he had been victorious. The Mechanic no longer posed a significant threat. International Rescue had suffered quite a blow, although they would back down. No doubt, he would chalk this one down as a success. His enemies were powerless but to glare daggers at him, realizing as he had that he had gotten away with it. They wouldn't follow, not with two of their own in such a sorry state. Still, something caused him to linger, to glance over his shoulder just before departing. He spoke quietly, seemingly ashamed of his words:

"Take care of her..."

He was gone a moment later, prompting Virgil to get out of the cockpit. He ran round to check on the state of his passengers, concern plastered all over his face. Naturally, Kayo was the main worry. A quick glance was enough to confirm his fears. He nodded to Gordon, the younger brother instantly getting the message and calling the space monitor as they made their way back onto Thunderbird 2. Virgil would take the controls as soon as possible, there was no time to be wasted. There was hardly even a second's delay as the faces of the rest of their anxious family greeted them:

"We got them… Their safe. Will be on route to GDF hospital in two minutes. See you there."


	23. Chapter 23

**_Author's note: As usual, thanks for all of the reviews._**

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The hallways were eerily quiet. Ironic given that people were constantly coming and going. There was a bustle here which didn't quite seem to fit the heavy and painful atmosphere which hung over their heads. It seemed to weigh down upon them like a ton of bricks. It would have been unbearable in other circumstances were it not for the exhaustion which had taken hold. It was impossible to shift, seemingly sapping every last ounce of their strength. For some reason however, not one of the company sitting down in the corridor could find sleep. They had been sitting here together for several hours now, despite the constant struggle they had been partaking in for the past few weeks and the immense strain it had been put on them, no one could rest. In fact, they barely even spoke to one another as they sat.

From time to time, one of the passing soldiers or medical staff would give them a pitying glance. Word had spread like wildfire about what had happened. Tanusha Kyrano was in a bad way. When those on board of FAB1 had arrived, there had been a rumour going around – the result of Chinese whispers it would seem – that she was dead. It had taken a good ten minutes and colonel Valery Casey's personal assurance that she was very much alive to calm down her grief-stricken father. Scott was also alive, they hadn't said much about his condition other than it wasn't serious. There was a certain amount of ambiguity where he was concerned however, an evasiveness when they asked about him or requested to see him. The number of "give him another half hour"s caused them now to worry that something wasn't quite right there either.

All they could do was wait. As tormenting as it was to bear, they had little other choice.

Virgil and Gordon had been able to brief them a little about what had happened. They had got comparatively little out of Scott, he had remained silent throughout most of the trip. Refusing to speak about it. Kayo was in no state to do so. She'd spent much of the journey to the GDF facility barely conscious, Virgil had been able to alleviate some of the pain but ultimately had preferred to allow proper, qualified doctors to tend to her injuries. Since handing their brother and almost sister over, they had heard next to nothing. Naturally, that caused them to eventually start envisioning nightmare scenarios. It caused them to remain silent, unwilling to share their own doubts and fears

Only Kyrano disturbed the uneasy silence, sat on his chair, hands clasped together prayed silently under his breath. They had offered him the opportunity to have some privacy, his own room if required. He had politely refused. His place was with his friends and as near to his family as possible, he had claimed. They hadn't argued.

About twenty minutes ago, colonel Casey had been called over by some the doctors. She'd disappeared into another room with them. They hoped she would return with some actual news and be able to tell them just when they would be reunited with their loved-ones. So far, they could only wonder just when, if ever, this nightmare would all be over. For so long, they had been separated. It seemed like an eternity that they had woken up together on their island and lounged in the sun whilst they waited for someone to rescue. The seven individuals waited, hoping for the best but equally dreading the worst.

Finally, the door creaked open as Casey stepped out. Her expression was one chiselled from stone. It was almost impossible to read what she might have been feeling or what she had heard. She gave a few discrete glances, silently requesting that her subordinates to leave and give them at least a few minutes' worth of private time. They obliged, leaving as soon as they could. The hallway was soon deserted, leaving only the small group, friends, family nervous and eager to be released from the anxiety which had been eating at them since they had arrived. The woman hesitated a moment. Unsure where to start. This was a little too close to home for her liking. It wasn't the first time that she'd been required to give this sort of news to someone. It was fair to say that it was the first however that had concerned her own godchildren.

Her dark brown eyes rested upon the Tracy's and one Kyrano. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and spoke:

"They'll live."

The faces of the brothers lit up abruptly, as did those of Lady Penelope and Brains. Kyrano and Grandma however remained somewhat more reserved. They knew her better, could see the "but" hanging on the end of her tongue. It was one she had trouble uttering herself. She would have liked to put on a smile and pretend that all was well. In an ideal world, she would have liked her two godchildren to walk out from behind her and tell their family members themselves that they were well or at the very least going to make a quick and thorough recovery. She knew better than to lie however, choosing to speak quickly rather than to let false hope take too great a hold:

"I'm sorry but Kayo- Tanusha took quite the beating. I'm not sure how she was running around for as long as she was."

"She's stubborn..." Kyrano lowered his gaze to the floor, shaking his head slowly with despair.

"Aiman..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced to grandma for a moment. "Would you rather we discuss this in private?"

"No..." His voice was firm and resolute. "She calls the boys her brothers. They deserve to know as much as I do."

Somehow, that answer didn't surprise the colonel. She looked down at the documents in her hands. They weren't particularly useful as references, much of it was medical jargon which she just barely understood, the doctors had been kind enough to give her a simplified and non-Latin explanation of just what it all meant. She's seen the state of the young woman however both before and after the doctors had seen her. Neither were a particularly pleasant sight for those who had known her. She gave Kyrano a few moments to brace himself, even although she suspected that the poor man had been doing that for some hours now. It was Grandma who gave a slight nod, encouraging her to go ahead with her explanations:

"Sort story is she's going to be out of it for a while. Looks like the poor girl took the brunt of it. She'll be off her feet for a long time. I'm talking weeks, maybe months. She-uh… The Mechanic..." This was far more difficult that she had thought it would be.

"Valery. Breathe." Grandma Tracy somehow managed to remain calm, allowing the commander to let out a deep sigh.

"Okay… I'm not going to mix words. He was rough. The aim was to cause significant amounts of pain and that's what he did. First ten minutes they were his captives, he broke three of her ribs." The colonel closed her eyes, unwillingly remembering the crack as the bones had shattered. "Given the lack of treatment and the fact that she didn't exactly take it easy, there was a lot of damage and her right lung collapsed.

"What has been done for her?" The father didn't even attempt to mask his concern.

"They operated this morning. The doctors did all they could. I'm sorry. We couldn't save it."

Silence settled in. A painful acknowledgement that something had been lost. Any hope that they were going to make it out of this in one piece were abruptly and rather brutally shattered. Kyrano said nothing, looking down at his feet. The colour had drained from his face. Casey gave them enough time to process what they had been told. The words were pretty simple. As were their meaning. It was merely a matter of trying to understand everything which they entailed which proved to be somewhat more complicated and time-consuming. Even with no medical knowledge, it was pretty apparent that it wasn't a minor injury which she would be able to shrug off easily as if it were a mere plaster cast.

Casey herself had been forced to ask for some clear explanations as to just what it would mean for Kayo going forwards in life both in terms of day to day existence and also potential health-risks. She had memorized what they had told her so that she would be able to tell them herself, perhaps adapt the delivery to suit their reactions. She had been expecting a response like the one which she was witnessing. It had however crossed her mind that given the somewhat extreme circumstances, they might loose their nerves and react somewhat more violently; It was Gordon who finally managed to pull himself together and ask:

"What's that going to mean for her?"

"She'll be out of breath." Virgil only just managed to sigh, shaking his head slowly. "One lung won't be enough to let her keep up with covert ops or even just regular missions."

"You're saying she'll be crippled." Her father's voice was hushed, pained.

"If she goes through rehab, she'll be able to live a normal life." Casey knew the situation to be more complicated but still felt obliged to present all of the facts.

"If Tanusha cannot fulfil her duties, even half of them, she will consider it crippling."

Grandma nodded slowly in agreement with the girl's father. Both knew just how stubborn she could be. In many ways, International Rescue was her life. The idea of not being able to take part in its running would drive her mad. A desk job was one thing which Tanusha Kyrano most definitely wasn't suited for. The blow would be a terrible one. Once more, there was an unpleasant silence which hung in the air. Virgil looked around uncertainly, his eyes drifted over the small group gathered in the corridor. He didn't know whether or not to remain quiet or to dare speak. Finally, he decided it would be best to speak, even if it was to bring up a possibility he was certain that had already been brought up:

"There are those new ones though, the artificial ones." Virgil peeped up somewhat. "I've read about them… They're really good."

"Yes. There's one waiting for her, top of the line, military grade, if she wants it but that's something she'll have to decide for herself when she's better. Right now, if her body rejected the transplant, it would kill her."

Aiman rested his head in his hands, muttering under his breath in his native Malay. He earned some looks of sympathy from the group. Perhaps, Casey found herself thinking, it would have been better to insist that he was taken to one side so that she could deal with the matter more personally. Her friend only had one child. Naturally, he had hoped that she would be safe. Putting his own life on the line to try and ensure that she was. His sacrifice had ultimately meant very little. The colonel herself felt that some of the blame rested on her shoulders, after all, it had been her orders and her men who had placed the girl behind bars and handed her over to a man she knew full-well meant them harm. That was something which she would have to face another day. For the time being, there would be a different form of grieving. Both recognizing what had been done and what had been lost and realizing what it would mean when Kayo awoke. She would spare her father and her adopted family the rest of the report until later. For the moment, the doctors had only been able to look at her wounds, treat them and guess what might have been the cause, if they wanted a better explanation, they would have to wait until the unfortunate victim awoke once more.

Once more, she allowed him to settle down. Briefly, the colonel even contemplated leaving, allowing them some time to adjust before continuing. There was still plenty more to be said and doubtless the family was still anxious. Grandma Tracy, perhaps deciding that it was time to change subject so as to allow Kyrano to collect some of his thoughts, spoke up:

"And Scott?"

"The doctors gave him a look over and the Mechanic barely seems to have touched him. Give it a few days and a few decent meals, he'll be fine physically."

" _Physically_?" Gordon picked up on the word easily, repeating it, demanding further explanations.

"He's not talking that much. The doctors are hoping its just shock and that he'll get over it in a few hours." Casey paused, hesitating to add more.

"You think it's something else?" Grandma wasn't about to let the matter slide.

"I don't know." She shook her head slowly. "I tried talking to him, the whole time he was just staring out the window."

Grandma nodded slowly, understanding the point she was trying to make. Scott wasn't himself. She had been expecting that much based solely on what Virgil and Gordon had told them. She knew her eldest grandchild well enough to know that he would be in a sorry state given what he had witnessed. She could only hope that it was something which he would get over in time as opposed to more more durable trauma. She could only hope that someone had thought to tell him that Kayo was alive and would eventually recover. Perhaps, the best way to know would be to see for themselves. That was, if it was possible. Virgil was the first to formulate the request which they had all been waiting to make since they had begun to wait:

"Can we see them?"

"Yes." The colonel nodded a few times. "It might be best."

They got up, allowing Kyrano to go to see his daughter first, in private. He stood, his legs shaking ever so slightly as he did so. He remained as pale as a ghost, quiet, he moved slowly without even looking up. A doctor guided him down another hallway into another room. The Tracy family watched him sympathetically, waiting until the door was closed once more before, Grandma nodded towards Brains. The young man got out a small communicator and used it to contact Thunderbird 5 and its occupants. They had promised to keep them up to date with what wad going on. They were greeted by three anxious faces, like them they had feared the worst. They waited, never once calling. As such, Grandma gave the message simply and quickly:

"They're alive and are going to live. We're going to see them."

"Okay..." John answered remaining comparatively stoic. "Give them our love."

She agreed silently. Silently, she got to her feet in turn, followed promptly by Virgil. Casey lead them down the corridor towards the room where Scott was resting. Gordon found himself lingering a few moments, he felt a little sick. It wasn't just knowing what pain Kayo had suffered but a part of him, one which he was rather ashamed of wasn't sure if he could face Scott either. He wanted to see his brother, strong, composed, worrying about them. Not broken… That simply wasn't their oldest sibling. He was the one who was always there for them, one way or another… The aquanaut shook his head, summoning his will and strength. It was his brother who needed them now… As he got to his feet, eager to follow the rest of his family. A soft and gentle hand however placed itself on his shoulder, causing him to turn. She spoke for Parker and Brains as well:

"Gordon… We'll stay here, you need some time in private."

He smiled softly. A silent "thank you" before turning away and taking a few longer than usual strides to catch up with the rest of his family. Casey lead them to a door which she pushed open ever so slightly before signalling them to go in. She would remain outside. Giving them some time alone with their relative. Grandma lead the way in, followed by her two grand children whilst the colonel carefully shut the door behind them, ensuring that the conversation (if there was one) remained private.

Gordon glanced around the room, it was more pleasant than he had imagined a GDF hospital room would be. Bright and clean, there was despite everything a slight warmth which could be in part attributed to the warm midday sun which was shining through the window. There was still the slight scent of antiseptic which hung in the air, stinging ever-so-slightly at his eyes and the back of his throat for a few seconds until he became accustomed to it. The bed was empty, someone at some point had been lying on it but as far as the aquanaut could tell they had done little else, probably not even seeking refuge under the sheets. Instead, he found his brother to be sitting on a chair, leaning on the windowsill, with his head resting on his hand. He had his back turned to them. As discrete as their entrance had been, it was hard to imagine that he wasn't aware of their presence. Still, he kept his back turned, his attention focused solely on the world outside.

They spent a minute or so like that, waiting in silence for some sort of acknowledgement of their presence. He didn't so much as shift. Had he been made of stone, it would have been almost equivalent to the response that they were getting right now. The three family members exchanged looks, uncertain and beginning to understand what Casey had been going on about. Finally, it was Grandma who stepped forwards and spoke out:

"Scott..."

A current of electricity seemed to pass through him. For all that however, his response was sluggish. He turned around, moving slowly. When his eyes came into view, Gordon instantly knew that something was wrong. That blue, usually so sharp and powerful was duller. The man behind them seemed distant, lost somehow some place far away. Whilst his gaze may have been resting on them, there was something lacking from behind it. It was as if the spirit of their sibling had been taken from him. He looked exhausted, a man beaten by the world around him. The bags under his eyes spoke of the lack of sleep. He was a mess, shaggy hair and a scruffy beard marked a stark contrast with the young man they were used to dealing with. Right now, the aquanaut found himself thinking that he might not have recognized him had he passed him in the street. Even turned to face them once more, he still remained silent. Yet another reason to worry about him. Grandma decided to continue to pry for a response:

"You okay, kid?"

"How's Kayo?"

Scott's tone was hushed, barely more than a whisper. Grandma frowned slightly, not disapproving but rather concerned. It was a fear which she didn't even attempt to hide from her eldest grandchild. Perhaps, the ageing woman hoped that it would be enough to snap him out of whatever had gripped him and bring him back to them. It failed however as he looked at them with the same blank and yet somewhat haunted expression as he had done earlier. The group hesitated, unwilling to tell the young man just what had been done to save their friend's life. He wouldn't take it well. They all knew that much. On the other hand, lying would likely only exasperate things further, especially if he somehow found out the truth. Letting out a sigh, Virgil decided to adopt a somewhat more diplomatic approach:

"She's recovering. Kyrano's with her right now, so we haven't had enough time to see her. What about you?"

"I'm alive..."

The news failed to lift Scott's mood as they had hoped that it might. Given that he seemed to have been conscious since arriving, it was hard to conceive that nobody had thought to keep him even somewhat updated about Kayo's condition. Simply telling him that she was still alive seemed like the bear minimum that anyone would have done. That knowledge seemed to bring him precious little comfort however as he let out a sigh and turned back towards the window. Had he seen through their attempts to conceal the severity of the situation from him? Whatever the case, his drive vanished once more. They spent the next ten minutes desperately trying to coax some words from him. His responses were brief, if he gave any at all. It was clear that he wasn't going to talk much, ultimately locking him off from them completely as he rested his head on his arms looking out mindlessly into the distance.

It was Grandma the first to admit defeat, getting to her feet, the elder placed a hand on Gordon's shoulder as she silently encouraged her two grandchildren to their feet. They lingered for a moment, instinctively reluctant to abandon their brother. Her words were gentle but also firm:

"We'll talk when you're ready..."

They left a moment later. Hopefully some rest would do him some good. It would take some time for him to realize that everyone was safe and that the danger had passed. Longer still to forget or at least be able to live with what had happened. All they could do was be there for him and wait. Casey, having waited patiently outside, stood up from her chair to greet them. Once glance confirmed her initial fears. She remained silent on the matter however, simply nodding once in understanding. She watched through tired and grieved dark eyes as the family travelled to the second room which contained one of them own.

Grandma went first out of caution. She peered her head in the door, wanting to check and ensure that Aiman was ready for some company and didn't object to their presence. It took a few moments before she dared to turn back, gesturing silently for the two brothers to come. They couldn't stay for long, that became clear as soon as they entered. Asides from the regular bleeping of a heart monitor and some assisted breathing, there was another somewhat softer noise. It was a song, a language which they couldn't understand. Kyrano, sat next to his only child in her hospital bed. He sung softly, holding her hand as if it were made out of the finest porcelain. The tune although not necessarily sung in the most beautiful of voices was soft, speaking both of love and pain. Kayo remained unmoved. The sedatives ensured that she was unconscious. Her wounds had been tended to, bandaged as best as possible, others left to heal in the open air.

They stayed there for a while. Kyrano paid little to no attention to them, continuing to sing softly, ignoring the strained and somewhat artificial breathing coming from the young woman and the beep which served to remind everyone that her heart was still beating. Finally, Gordon stormed outside, unable to take any more.

Fists clenched, he marched past colonel Casey before she had time to stop him. Down the corridor he went. He needed to get out. It didn't matter where. He just had to get somewhere away from here. Somewhere where he could pretend his elder brother wasn't changed and the young woman they all called "sister" wasn't missing an organ she'd had only a few days prior or on life support. He felt the tears sting at his eyes, threatening to pour. Anger, pain, sadness, everything welled up inside of him so that he couldn't understand what – if anything – he was feeling. A hand, somehow both gentle and firm, on his shoulder stopped him in an instant. He turned to face Lady Penelope, the young woman smiled softly. Not trying to comfort him or tell him that it would be alright but simply letting him know that she understood.

He stood there for a moment, poleaxed. It was only when the first sob came that he realized his cheeks were already wet with tears. His pain visible to all. Unable to hide or perhaps unwilling to do so for any longer, he lowered his head allowing the sorrow to take hold and crying loudly as Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck.

Words didn't seem to matter any more. Only the pain of the past and the uncertainty which lay ahead.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Author's note: Sorry for the delay, real life has a way of catching up sometimes. Thanks for the reviews!_**

 ** _/_**

Thunderbird 3 touched down slowly inside of the hangar. It had been three weeks since its had graced the soil of Earth, much less Tracy Island. Too long for anyone's liking. As the massive red rocket's engines died down and the vibrations ceased, there was a sense of normality as for the first time in the best part of a month, all of the Thunderbirds were where they were supposed to be. In their various hangars, the mighty machines were at last allowed to rest. There was something appeasing about seeing the light turn green as it was confirmed that the last of their ships was finally home, along with its passengers: three extremely tired and yet impossibly relieved human beings.

For John, it had been the single longest trip from Thunderbird 5's orbit to Earth he could remember. He knew that to be incorrect. In the scheme of things, it was no longer or shorter than many of his regular trips. For some reason however, time just seemed to draw out seemingly endlessly. Without having to ask them, he could tell that it had been the same for his fellow passengers. He'd half expected Alan to ask "Are we there yet?!" as he had so often done as a young boy. Thankfully, with the youngest of the brothers at the controls, he knew full-well just how far away they were from their destination and how long it would take to reach. He was however, intensely focused, far more so that he would usually be for a simple landing. It was borderline if the space monitor told his sibling to relax a little and ease off. He didn't however, aware that there was very little which could be done to ease both the stress and anticipation.

Anticipation both good and bad. They had been separated from their family for what felt like a small eternity. The video link had been open almost non-stop since Tracy Island had become occupied once more. Chatting, even for an hour or so a day, wasn't enough. There was no replacing the sense of comfort which came from the proximity of another. Alan, despite his relative youth, had been putting on a very brave face, pretending that everything was okay. There was a certain longing behind his eyes however. Ridley had been the first to pick up on it, brining it to his elder brother's attention. They had come home a little early as a result. Only be a day or so, it was difficult to imagine putting off their return much longer anyhow. They could arguably have returned to Earth a week ago as opposed to bothering themselves with the numerous small repairs and modifications required to ensure that both Thunderbird 5 and Thunderbird 3 were operational for when International Rescue was back in action.

That brought them to the reason why they were partly dreading a return to the island. Whilst the prospect of seeing their family again was enticing enough to have Alan almost wishing he could skip the landing part and jump so as to end up directly in the living room with them. They had been warned to expect. Kayo, although back home, was still far from well. Scott also remained not quite himself. They were less precise about just what was wrong with him, largely because John doubted that they were entirely sure. The damage done to him seemed to be somewhat less obvious than to the young woman. It had been made very clear to the new arrivals however that they weren't themselves and to be prepared. That single piece of knowledge was enough to cause them a great deal of concern. It was a case of not being easy until they had seen with their own eyes. For his part, the space monitor found himself imagining the worst despite the assurances of those on the ground that they were steadily recovering.

The engines died down as the final procedure of the landing began. In a few moments, they would be able to step out of this metal ship and set foot back on their island home. It was a place that John had found himself thinking he might never find himself again. As they were slowly lifted down by the complex system of lifts and hydraulics, he found himself struggling to get used to Earth's atmosphere and gravity once more. As much as Brains and his father had tried to mimic the planet's environment on board of the space station, there was only so much that they could do. No amount of artificial air or gravity could make up for the real thing. It came as a shock to all of them to be so suddenly exposed to it. Combined with the sudden assault on their senses from the rest of the numerous little things which existed in the hangar but not on Thunderbird 5 where they had found themselves trapped for so many weeks.

They weren't given enough time to become accustomed to it however as a group of familiar faces rushed over, eager to greet them. Alan broke into a run upon seeing them, ignoring how his legs were shaky and somewhat uncertain. His family was here, that was all which seemed to matter. He practically jumped into them, being caught by Virgil who had the good sense to ensure that he didn't collide first with their grandmother. Sometimes, despite reminding them constantly about it, the lad still somehow managed to forget that he had grown. The last thing anyone wanted was for his eagerness to end up sending one of their own to the hospital by accident. The non-Tracys stood back somewhat as they watched the group finally reunited in the flesh. Their embrace was a tight one, refusing to let go of one another as if they feared that the others might simply disappear.

Alan closed his eyes grabbing a hold of Virgil whilst also feeling the comfort coming from his other family members. He felt safe. It was a feeling he had feared he would never experience again. He couldn't have put into words the amount of relief which seemed to originate from the presence of his loved ones. He felt safe, as if nothing could possibly harm him. The danger had passed. He was home. Everything was just right. Well, almost… Despite everything, something didn't quite feel right. Things were almost perfect but something was still lacking. It didn't take too much reflection for him to realize just what it was. Two sets of arms were missing… This wasn't quite the reunion any of them had been hoping for. Not with two of their own absent. In fact, some might even argue that it couldn't be qualified as such a thing. Those who weren't there weren't mentioned, at least not initially. They were an elephant in the room. Ignored for a few moments whilst they allowed themselves to indulge in the simple joy of being back together again:

"How was re-entry?"

"Fine." Alan attempted to brush off Gordon's enquiry with confidence, before adding. "Feels strange being back on Earth though."

"You boys are bound to be tired..."

Grandma's eyes travelled past them for the first time to the young woman who was hanging back somewhat. Ridley looked decidedly uneasy as she stood there. Happy, yes but also aware that she wasn't technically part of their inner-circle. If she was here, it was because she had refused to abandon John. The space monitor had gotten it in the back of the neck a couple of times for having her on board of the space station. She knew for a fact that it had embarrassed him, exposing their relationship a good deal before he would have liked it to be general knowledge. That left her feeling a little awkward, unsure where she stood. In all honesty, she had rather hoping to go unnoticed at least for the time being. The eyes which now rested upon her were somewhat unsettling. Blushing slightly, she stepped forwards so as to stand a little closer to them. To her surprise, John, usually rather shy himself, took her hand encouraging her to stand by his side. He spoke confidently without a hint of embarrassment:

"Grandma, this is captain Ridley O'Bannon."

"Nice to meet you in the flesh." The tone was warm, inviting as the elder held out her hand.

"You too..." Tentatively the young woman accepted, surprised by how firm the woman's grip was.

Like that. It was as if she had somehow been accepted into their little family, a closely knit circle by any standards. One which wasn't necessarily picky about blood ties as the Kyranos and Brains proved but who remained none-the-less comparatively weary of outsiders. Whatever test existed to allow access into their group, she seemed to have passed it. Perhaps John would be able to explain why she had been deemed worthy of an affectionate smile and a clasped shoulder from the family elder. She wasn't complaining that was for sure. Offering a gentle smile of her own, she stepped fully into their little circle.

Despite the large amount of time apart, there was relatively little for them to catch up on given that they had been communicating actively for the past few weeks via video feed. Still, they chatted. They were briefed once more about how they had been cleaning the island. It wasn't that the GDF hadn't taken decent care of the place… But they had moved things in an attempt to find any possible hidden passages or information about where International Rescue just might be hiding out. It was those relatively little details which they had been noticing and trying to rectify since returning to the island. Those who had been trapped in space informed Brains of what they had done to their crafts in order to ensure that they remained operational. There was only so much they could do to put off asking the question which had been eating at them for so long. Finally, it was Alan who broke first:

"Are Scott and Kayo okay?"

He knew a part of the answer. Even on board of the space station, they had been kept up to date with the progress of Tracy Island's resident patients. Neither were entirely well. They were however stable enough to have been allowed to leave the hospital. The GDF had seen to it that International Rescue had everything they could possibly need to tend to Kayo. Virgil, already familiar with first aid and some medical practices had been fully briefed about what was required on a daily basis. There was little that could be done for Scott other than to give him time and potentially, if there was no improvement, send him to a specialist. They were better however, that's what Alan had been telling himself, otherwise they wouldn't have been allowed to come home. As such, his question maybe wasn't entirely correct given that he already knew most of the basics.

A more accurate and truthful question would have been: Can I go and see them? Since all of this had begun, he hadn't been able to talk to either of them. They were recovering. At one point, when he had been talking to his family, Scott had been nearby. He had remained out of sight but was still close enough for his presence to be noticed. He'd seemed a little _off_ and his family were unwilling to push things. Now that they were both on the island however the temptation to go and visit his brother and Kayo was almost impossible for him to keep in check. Frankly, if his grandmother had said that she didn't think it was a good idea, he wasn't entirely sure that he would have listened. Thankfully, he received a gentle smile as a response. Grandma rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing ever-so-slightly as she told him:

"They're still on the mend. You can go and see them if you want. Scott's probably in his room. If you go and see Kayo, knock first. Be gentle with both of them."

"I thought Scott was fine?" The brother raised an eyebrow a mixture of perplexed by the woman's warnings and somewhat concerned.

"It's not the scars inside that are his problem. Just be careful with them, okay kid? I'm sure they'd love to see you."

Alan nodded before rushing off. He wasn't quite running but walked quickly. A mixture of eagerness and excitement taking over. There would naturally be some concern there as well. Fear of what state he would find them in. The lad might be in for a shock… Grandma Tracy told herself as she watched him hurry off. There was some regret there as she wondered whether it might not have been better to have all gone in together so as to be able to be prepared. Too late now, he was already in the lift. The elder held back a sigh, feeling somewhat tired all of a sudden. So much had happened and yet so little. Turning round, she faced her middle grandson, he was hanging back somewhat. She wasn't surprised when once he was certain that Alan could no longer hear them, he asked rather directly:

"How are they really?"

"Better than they were." That much was the truth, she found herself lowering her gaze however as she continued in a sigh. "Kayo's not taking it very well. Kyrano's going to try to get her to eat something… As for Scott, he has his moments. Sometimes he's almost back, then he just drifts off again and we can't snap him out of it."

John said nothing, he had been expecting as much. He knew his elder brother too well to hope for a sudden miraculous recovery. This was likely to be something of a lengthy process but hopefully one which the presence of his family could make better.

Alan was quick to head for his brother's room. As he drew nearer however, a sense of foreboding caused him to slow slightly. He forced himself to remember that his brother wasn't himself. His grandmother's words of warning echoed through his mind. Briefly, he considered waiting for the rest of his family to arrive. A part of him wanted to face whatever lay beyond the door together. His hand hovered a few inches above the handle. It was difficult not to imagine Scott as some war veteran with a thousand-yard stare looking out of the window, broken. He wasn't too sure that he wanted to see his brother like that. Taking a deep breath, he summoned as much courage as he could muster and grabbed it. He forced himself through the door as quickly as possible, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible, making it too late for him to possibly turn back. He stepped in to find that the room hadn't changed since the last time he had sneaked in.

Scott was rather protective of his privacy. Objectively, he maybe didn't get as much of it as he required. His bedroom was his special place. Somewhere the others weren't allowed to intrude without his permission. Naturally, that was only an open invitation to his two youngest brothers. He would never cease to be surprised by how clean everything was. Everything had its place and order. He could still see those medals from his pilot days which had fascinated his youngest brother so much when he had first laid eyes on them.

The eldest brother himself was sitting on the edge of his bed facing out towards the open window. At least he had been, his attention had focused on the intruder. Instinctively, Alan mustered something of an awkward smile, imagining just what his sibling would say on an ordinary day had he seen him. For a moment, Scott simply stared, beginning to confirm some of the worst fears which the youngest had been harbouring. He imagined the pilot of Thunderbird 1 not responding any more than he already had, remaining trapped in his own mind. He seemed to struggle to comprehend that he was no longer alone. The somewhat haggard appearance of his brother, usually so well-groomed came as something of a shock causing the younger sibling to want to back away. It was only after a few seconds that a small and rather tired smile appeared on the pilot's face:

"Alan..."

Hearing his name spoken in such a manner prompted him to forget everything and simply rush forwards. He launched himself into his brother's arms, surprising him slightly. Scott had to brace himself to avoid tumbling off of the bed. Someone had to tell Alan that whilst he might still be a teenager, he had grown a considerable amount and was now more than capable of knocking someone off of their feet if they weren't prepared. Gathering his wits, the elder brother wrapped his arms around his sibling pulling him in close for a hug. He lost himself in those long arms. The beard didn't seem to register any more or the myriad of other things which weren't quite right. The feeling of completely safety his older sibling offered was too good to be passed up and caused all of his doubts and concerns to simply vanish. He allowed himself to relax as the fear slowly ebbed away, banished by a familiar warmth.

It was easy for him to hide in that feeling of safety and forget everything that happened. When he'd had nightmares as a boy and his parents weren't available, he'd gone to Scott. It didn't matter what he was doing or how late it was, he'd always take him in his arms and tell him that it was alright and that he'd keep him safe. His light blue eyes drifted listlessly around the room. They weren't searching anything and there was little thought behind them. Thinking about anything proved to be something of a challenge, such was the relief which he felt for being there, safe and in his brother's arms. A somewhat lethargic feeling took hold, one which seemed to discourage movement or reflection of any sort. If anything, it proved to be almost sleep-inducing.

Something wasn't quite right however. Alan couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was there, just under his skin, troubling him. Whatever it was, it prevented him from being at ease completely. He tried not to react, not to let Scott sense his doubt. His eyes trailed over the room listlessly, searching for whatever could be the source of his sudden bout of insecurity. It took him a moment to spot what had changed in his room. It was largely because almost nothing was out of place since the last time he had entered his brother's domain that he hadn't immediately noticed. Three photos sat next to his bed, the first was of his family some ten years ago, the second of them taken only a few months before his father's disappearance and the third was of their mother. They should have been sitting on his bedside table, looking out at him, perhaps in his parent's cases watching over him. Instead, they had been placed face down. There was no doubt that it was a deliberate act as opposed to them being unintentionally knocked over during dusting.

Even their mother had been turned away so that he didn't have to look at her or could it have been the other way around? Scott must have sensed that something had changed as he gently pushed his brother away from him. It wasn't a rough action so much as realizing that the time for hugs had passed. Alan remained silent for a moment, unwilling to speak and give the game away. It was tempting to try and pretend. The notion that they could make-believe that everything was alright and fool themselves was a pleasing one but a trick he knew he could indulge in. Speaking in a hushed tone, he asked his brother:

"You're not alright, are you?"

"No… I don't think I am..." It was a quiet mutter, a painful confession.

He said nothing else. Simply allowing that reality to settle in. He knew he shouldn't have been getting his hopes up. It was foolish. His grandmother had warned him after all. He wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting. For a moment, he'd dared to hope that things weren't as bad as all that. Letting out a sigh, he didn't attempt to put any distance between himself and his brother, allowing the silence to do the talking for them. Alan was aware that he hadn't been told about the entirety of the severity of the situation. That suited him in many ways. He didn't need all of the unpleasant details, although he got the feeling that even Grandma and the others didn't quite know what had gone on between the Mechanic and his two prisoners. The silence became too much, prompting him to speak once more, anything to pretend to be normal:

"Have you talked to Kayo?"

"She doesn't want to see me..." He shook his head negatively.

"Scott, Kayo wouldn't-" Things had changed, he knew that but it was impossible to imagine them getting that bad.

"Go see her." He pushed him gently but firmly away. "Trust me, she doesn't want to see me."

For a moment, tears began to swell up behind the youngest brother's eyes. He looked for help, guidance, anything for his sibling. This didn't feel right. A part of him demanded that he hold on as tightly as possible. This all felt wrong. Pleas built up inside of him as he battled with the urge to beg his brother not to push him away. Without quite understanding why, he found himself get to his feet. His eyes met those of his sibling. There was a pain there, plain to see. It seemed to speak more than words ever could. He needed to be left alone. He needed to be given some peace. Shaking slightly, Alan nodded a few times. Scott didn't respond, simply turning away as he found himself once more left alone with only his own thoughts and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks at the base of the cliff under his window for company.

He ventured outside slowly, the reality of what had just happened starting to sink in. Alan found himself standing in the corridor listlessly. He felt lost. Whilst Kayo's door was only a few feet away and easily reachable, he remained rooted to the spot. The distant look behind Scott's eyes was a haunting one. The man currently sheltering in his own room was a ghost of the big brother he had once known. Someone crushed by what he had witnessed or been subjected to, he could barely recognise him. He found himself unsure if he was going to be able to face his equally broken sister…

/

The tray of food was still steaming as it was carried into a small bedroom. It had been carefully prepared only a few minutes ago. The man entered carefully. He succeeded in keeping everything balanced, including the glass of water. He barely even looking at the dinner he was bringing, instead keeping his eyes fixed solely on the bed and its occupant. He could easily smell the food, sitting on a plate, the smell was rather appetizing. It would have to be as it was intended for one customer who was proving to be decidedly difficult. He had prepared it himself with that in mind, taking care to heed the doctors' instructions and what he knew himself to be healthy.

He received no greeting or even much of an acknowledgement of his presence. If the young woman lying in bed shifted slightly to see who was coming in, it would have been a lot. He knew that she could tell simply from the footsteps who had entered the room. Days of people coming and going had taught her that much. Although they had taken her clock to prevent her from becoming mad through counting the seconds as they trickled by, he knew that she would be able to tell from the light what time of day it was and therefore guess his reason for being here, as if the smell wouldn't be enough to clue her in already. Carefully, he placed the tray down on a table. From a couple of bottles, he took a few pills. Without saying a word, he put one down on a tissue for later and dropped the other into the glass of water so as to allow it to dissolve.

He carried it along with the plate off food over to the young woman. There was a chair sitting there which various members of the family had sat in, each taking their turn to keep the bedridden young woman company. He had spent longer in that one chair over the past few days than he had in his own bed sleeping at night. More than once, he had opted to remain here as opposed to staying in his own quarters. He was no fool, he knew that his presence wasn't always desired. He only remained when he felt that it was necessary. His eyes softened as they always did when they fell upon the face of the reluctant patient.

She said nothing as he offered her the glass of water. He helped her take the rim to her lips, cautiously supporting it whilst she drank. She took small sips, anything more would leave her breathless and gasping. It was small things which she needed to get used to. Not being able to speak, drink or move around as much as she used to were just a few things which she was struggling to get her head around. As such, it took her a few minutes to finish the drink. The taste evidently left to be desired as she winced several times, her face distorting with disgust. Still, her lips remained sealed. Dark green eyes told him that she wanted to be left alone. A wish he couldn't grant, no matter how much he might want to. Turning away, he occupied himself with stirring the food on the plate with a spoon for a few moments. He gave the young woman a brief glance before speaking in a soft voice but one which maintained enough firmness to let her know that he wasn't best pleased:

"Grandma Tracy tells me that you're off of your food."

Once more, she said nothing causing him to frown. She should have been hungry. Granted, she might not have been eating as much trapped in bed as she would have been had she been burning the calories fulfilling her regular duties around the island but according to the elder her last meal could be traced back to yesterday's lunch. The others worried about whether or not she might have been falling ill but with no other symptoms, Kyrano felt that he was fairly sure that this wasn't a medical issue so much as a problem with his daughter's way of thinking. As such, he had offered to take her dinner today before they were forced to call the doctors.

Tired green eyes fixed the food in the plate with complete disinterest. Sitting up in her bed, she shook her head negatively, a solid refusal. Kyrano paid little heed, hoping that the smell would be enough to let instinct take over and make the idea of a meal suddenly not seem so repulsive. He prepared a small spoonful and raised it towards her mouth. Kayo turned away stubbornly and firmly refusing. Her brown creased slightly, angered by the man's persistence. Perhaps she had figured that she would have an easier time with him than she would have with the boys' grandmother, a far more ferocious individual. Today however, he wasn't about to back down so easily. Keeping the spoon raised, eager for her to see sense. When she finally turned back after a minute or so, it wasn't to accept the offering but rather to give him a cold and angry glare, one which could only hurt him.

He let out a sigh, lowering his arm so as to ease the strain on his muscles. He looked her dead in the eyes, his own gaze pleading as he spoke in a whisper:

"Don't do this Little Star, please..."

Those lines which marked her face, allowing him to know that she was angry relaxed themselves. She averted her eyes for a moment, choosing instead to fix the bedsheets. He could tell that she was considering matters in her own way. He knew better than to push her. His daughter was a woman best not tried. If she did things, it would be because she wanted to and not because someone asked it of her. Once more, her green eyes gave him a furtive glance, almost to check that he was still there. He didn't speak or otherwise try to encourage her to eat but neither did he look away, silently telling her that he intended to stay. Finally, when she let out a sigh, he knew that the battle was won. Very slowly, she leaned out and accepted the food which was on offer taking a spoonful in her mouth. The father didn't make a point in celebrating his victory, instead contenting himself with offering her another spoon.

He didn't need to ask if she wanted to take the utensil and plate for herself. He could tell by the way that her arms lay by her sides, that she wasn't strong enough and wouldn't have sufficient control to be able to feed herself. One thing that was certain was that Tanusha would have let him know if she felt that she was up to the task. If she didn't speak then it was a fair bet that she knew that she wouldn't be able to do something for herself. There was a certain reluctant acceptance as she ate the food. Her expression was pained, refusing to look at him as she ate, instead fixing her lap resentfully. Kyrano said nothing, preferring to take advantage of the few moments of compliance from his daughter to ensure that she had at least some food. She had worked her way through only about a third of the plateful before once more, she turned away as another spoon was offered to her. Aiman didn't insist, resting the spoon back on the plate. It was with a quiet voice that the young woman finally chose to speak, her vocal cords had been allowed to recuperate somewhat but still didn't sound quite right to those who knew her. Kayo's voice seldom quivered as much as it did at the moment:

"It's baby food..."

Kyrano let out a heavy sigh. He didn't need to remind her that her jaw had been fractured. The bone damaged by blunt force trauma, according to the doctors. Naturally, until it healed up that left her unable to chew anything much tougher than bread with the crusts removed. Even that she could only manage for a small amount of time. To enable her to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, they had simply taken to mashing up some regular food. Today's meal was chicken, potatoes and peas. Unfortunately, that didn't sit too well with his daughter. He was hardly surprised by that much. Her pride was such that being unable to eat anything solid seemed to be practically an insult to her. Aiman stirred the mix mindlessly, wondering if she'd had enough to allow him to leave it be. He would be a lot happier if she'd eaten at least half of it. Considering it an insult to try and tell her that it wasn't so bad or that she was exaggerating, the man contented himself with letting out in a sigh:

"I know, Little Star..."

Tanusha was in a bad mood. He doubted that they would see her in a good one for some time yet. He most definitely wasn't about to try and punish any outbursts she might have. The ageing man felt that it would likely have the opposite to desired effect. Instead, he decided to opt for a different approach. Moving slowly, he got to his feet and headed back over to the tray he had left earlier on. From there, he picked up a small glass bowl and carried it over. There would be less to smell this time. He was however fairly confident that she would be able to tell just what it was. Judging by the way her eyes widened with surprise, he was fairly sure that she hadn't missed it. Still, as he sat back down, he decided to confirm what she'd already guessed:

"Lemon sorbet. Now, Tanusha Kyrano, have you changed so much that it's not still your favourite? Finish your main meal and it's yours."

That got her attention. Her eyes rested on the sweet for a few moments before she nodded slowly, accepting the offer. Once more, she accepted the meal which was being offered to her. She remained quiet however. Talking wasn't something that she had been doing a lot of recently, yet another source of concern for her family. Granted, Tanusha hadn't ever been the sort to ramble aimlessly for hours but her prolonged silence was none-the-less troubling. Even when she did speak, it was only to say the minimum amount of words possible. Whilst initially, they had been willing to simply pass it off as her physically struggling with the act of speaking due to her numerous injuries, as time went on it was something which was causing more and more worry. Frowning slightly, the father decided to see if he might be able to coax some form of a response from his daughter:

"Alan, John and Ridley are back. I'm sure you are aware..." Once more she nodded but did little else to acknowledge that he had done so much as speak. Letting out a sigh, he put the food on the bedside table, preferring instead to take his daughter's hand. He did so carefully, aware that the skin around her wrists remained scarred and tender. "Will you not speak to your father? I know I am not the most interesting man to listen to but surely a little conversation would do no harm. Whatever is inside of you, you shouldn't keep it bottled up. Take it from this old fool, it will do you more harm than good."

Her green eyes rested upon him, studying him carefully. He didn't push any further than he had done already, giving her time to think things over more clearly. They could only guess what had been going through her mind these past few days. She had still been feeling the effects of the sedatives when they had broken the news to her about her lung, a painful task. The drugs had made her drowsy, slowing her mind and no doubt inhibiting her ability to think about matters. Whilst he had little doubt that bringing her back to the island had been the right thing to do for her recovery, it had come with the disadvantage of giving her ample time to reflect on what had been done to her. Not a bad thing necessarily by itself but the way that she was cutting herself off from them caused him to worry about her wallowing in those few agonizing days and what they had cost her for a little too long.

Slowly, she pulled her hand away from his grip choosing to rest it on her abdomen instead. Her attention rested back on the pale green painted ceiling of her room which she had spent so long staring at. Her body relaxed abruptly, all of the tension leaving it as she let out in a single breath:

"He took my lung..."

Not the doctors, not even the GDF… _Him_ … The Mechanic. He was a man whom Kyrano had never encountered before, not in the flesh, something he was rather grateful for. A single glance over his daughter's battered body was enough to let him imagine what kind of a person – although he hesitated to apply the term – he was. Someone with his own schedule, a goal in mind - even if they didn't yet know just what it was - and who would let nothing get in his way whether it was an obstacle, a person or morals. He knew from his own experience in the military that many people couldn't stomach inflicting such pain on another individual. He could and had, seemingly without a second thought and Tanusha had paid the price.

Only she and the Mechanic knew what she had been forced to endure but the marks on her flesh were a testament to it which wouldn't fade for a long time, some perhaps never. Whilst the damage to her skin was one thing which in the past she might have been able to overlook, maybe… It was the wounds invisible which concerned him. The trauma of what she had gone through as well as knowing that her life had been altered through the loss of her organ was likely what was eating away at her the most. Aiman hesitated. He wished that he could have said something in those few moments to comfort her. It wasn't as if this revelation of what was troubling her was an immense surprise. Still, he found his mouth dry as he sat there, his daughter withdrawn from him somewhat. Before he could speak, she cut in speaking in almost a whisper:

"I'm going to kill him."

Aiman Kyrano found himself tensing up slightly. It was an involuntary action. A shudder akin to one he would have given if someone had walked over his grave. He found himself looking into his daughter's eyes. They were the same yellow-green shade which seemed to run in his family, currently fuelled with hatred and there was something else there which he didn't want to see. That little glimmer which he desperately tried to ignore caused his blood to run cold. He found himself compelled to look away. Desperately, he searched for a way to distract himself himself. He found it by taking the plate of food back and offering her some more which she somewhat begrudgingly accepted. For a moment, he found himself tempted to ignore what she had said, pretend that he hadn't heard the words or blame them on the medicine she was forced to ingest on a daily basis. He paused however, remembering the last time he had made a similar call and just what it had cost him, cost the world in fact. He stirred the food listlessly for a moment before deciding to scold her gently. Nothing aggressive but just enough to let her know that he wasn't about to let such a statement slide. If nothing else, he found himself hoping that he would discover that he had somehow either misheard or misunderstood:

"You shouldn't say such things Tanusha."

"Why not? If I mean them."

She did mean them. Maybe that was what made it painful. He gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat sick in the pit of his stomach all of a sudden. In his mind, she was still very much a child. A child who was saying very terrible things. His mouth was dry as he found himself struggling to respond. There was no denying it now, there was a very faint and yet unfortunately familiar glint hiding behind her orbs, using the anger as both a shelter and a fuel was something he had prayed he would never see in his daughter. It was only slight, almost invisible, he doubted that even the rest of her adopted family would have been able to pick up on it. He however had been faced with it before, he had been unfortunate enough to be able to watch it develop and take hold. Hidden there, behind everything was just a little spark of madness. Sitting there, for a terrifying second, he found himself in a similar position over two decades previously with his little brother.

The realisation made him feel somewhat sick in his stomach. It wouldn't happen again; he told himself. It simply couldn't… Not to his daughter, she was far too strong for all that. His right hand was shaking he realized, the shock of it all had taken him off guard. Eager to conceal that much from his flesh and blood, he put the plate back down, choosing instead to grip the fabric of his trousers loosely to ease his nerves somewhat. He closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts together so that they were no longer scattered and somewhat confused. A deep breath was required before he felt that he was able to speak calmly and to organise what he had in his head:

"Think about what you're saying. Best you don't do something that you regret. You're hurt, in more ways than maybe you realize. That's festering away inside of you. When the pain is gone, we'll talk about this again. If you still feel the same way..." His voice trailed off as he averted his gaze for a moment, aware that his next words would change everything. "I'll help you."

She fixed him with wide eyes, evidently somewhat confused. It hadn't been the response she had been expecting. In a matter of seconds, she reverted to a frown, trying to read past him and make out whatever alternative motives he might have. Kyrano turned away, eager to conceal his concern from his daughter. The anger would pass, he hoped. The bitterness and rage at the injustice of what had been done to her might never disappear completely but it might yet fade so as to be bearable. She was a proud woman, struck low and reminded very painfully of her own mortality. He was aware that it was going to be a long fix… All any of them could do was be there for her whilst the wounds healed, for however long that might be. Kayo had now eaten about three quarters of the warm meal. He contemplated it for a moment before deciding that it was enough for today.

Taking back his gentle smile and affectionate demeanour, he instead presented her with the sorbet. She frowned but relaxed a moment later. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was rather more willing when it came to the sweet. Eating not quickly but maybe actually enjoying it. It was enough to raise both of their spirits, if only for a few minutes.

A knock at the door disturbed them. It wasn't urgent but rather respectful, almost timid. Kyrano glanced over his shoulder, as if to see who it was. He had his own idea of just who it might be. He doubted that Alan Tracy and his brother would be willing to put off their visit for very long. Grandma had promised him a few minutes alone with his daughter to try and bring her out of her distant state. More time must have passed than he had initially thought. He hesitated, wondering if it might be better to ask for an extra five minutes to ensure that Tanusha was in a state to receive visitors. He turned back to see what she thought about the matter. To his surprise, the young woman nodded, granting him permission to let them in.

Upon opening the door, the man found himself faced with the face of the youngest of the Tracy brothers. He looked anxious, unsettled. Not an ideal state of mind to be in when visiting an injured Tanusha. A quick but discrete glance down the hall doused any hopes the man had that the rest of the family might be following and therefore able to give emotional support. The teen's attention rested solely on the occupant of the bed. To Kyrano's surprise, his daughter managed to muster enough strength and presence of mind to give him a smile:

"Hey there Alan..."

"Kayo… How are you feeling?" He entered the room slowly, taking baby steps as if he feared that the ground might be about to give way beneath him.

"Getting better..."

Within a few seconds, they were chatting. Kyrano stood back, impressed at how quickly he had been Kayo had been able to hide her own doubts and fears and adopt a new façade in the face of the obviously concerned teen. He wished that it was more than just a mask but wasn't about to fool himself into thinking that everything that had been wrong had suddenly been put right by the arrival of others who were close to her. Still, it was enough to cause him to smile, even faintly. As it turned out, the rest of his family weren't all that far behind him. The young woman managed to maintain a friendly, if somewhat sober demeanour as she chatted with them for a while. Naturally, they were worried. Eager to know how she was recovering and to express their sympathy. She took it all in her stride, assuring them that it was alright. An act it might have been but there was no denying that it was a comforting one.

The sun was beginning to go down when the little group gathered once more in the living room. After a few hours of their company, it had become apparent that Kayo required some rest. As such, they had left her be. Scott remained firmly locked away in his own room and thoughts. He wouldn't be disturbing them. The family sat round in a circle, Penelope, Parker and Ridley settling amongst them. Another figure, this time a hologram, joined their number, not from the GDF base but rather as a civilian from her own home. It was the first time since this whole mess had started almost one month ago that they had all been back together. Two of their number might have been absent and not in the room but at least they were home. Despite that fact, there was something of a grim atmosphere hanging over their heads. They had been able to breathe, to recover somewhat. Now, however it was time to get back to business.

It was the colonel's task to lay things out clearly for them. They'd had a few weeks to try and make sense of things. Unfortunately, progress had been rather painfully slow:

"In short, he's gone underground. We're actively tracking him-"

"Never heard that one before..." Gordon's mutterings were cut short by an elbow to the ribs curtsy of the young blonde aristocrat to his right.

"What are the chances of us hearing from him again?" Virgil's question was one which all of them feared the answer to yet knew they needed to ask.

"I don't know..." The colonel's eyes travelled around the figures in the room. "On one hand, he just took quite the beating. He might need to recuperate. On the other… He'll almost certainly know that International Rescue isn't exactly operating at full strength. If I had to put money on it however, I'd say that you're safe for now..."

That came as something of a relief. In the back of their minds, they had all been fearing a potential attack from their enemy. He would be furious at having his victory taken away from him and would no doubt be planning some form of reprisal or another. For the time being however, they were going to assume that he lacked the means to attack them directly. Even with their head of security out of commission, they were now somewhat more prepared for him than they had been a month ago. International Rescue wouldn't be an easy target. He would know that and probably chose to lie low for a while until it was safe.

The shadow of their enemy had hung over their heads for quite some time. Even when he was silent and had apparently vanished off of the face of the Earth, he remained a figure to be feared. The tension in the room eased somewhat. Shoulders were relaxed, as a few of the individuals chose to lie a bit further back into their seats and breathe a silent and metaphorical sigh of relief. There would be other matters to attend to now that they no longer seemed to be in any immediate danger. Top of that list was the security of International Rescue. They had always relied on a Kyrano for their protection, either Aiman or Kayo, both had performed the task to the best of their ability and done so admirably. One had paid a terrible price for it. The reality was however that that might not be enough where future threats were concerned as colonel Casey was eager to inform them:

"Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this is that my superiors no longer view you as much of a threat. You've been granted weapons clearance if you want it."

"That's a big jump…" The second eldest brother pointed out, not even attempting to hide his unease. "International Rescue is well… A rescue organisation. If we start carrying guns, what's that going to say about us?"

"That there are some maniacs out there and that we need to protect ourselves!" Gordon clenched his fists, shooting his brother a somewhat irritated look. "We can't rescue anyone if we're held at gunpoint!"

"This is something to talk about in private when everyone's had a chance to cool off a little bit." Her eyes drifted back up to the portraits which hung on the wall before coming back to focus on the rest of the family. "It's all too fresh right now."

That was a fact that they could all agree on. An uncomfortable silence settled in. It was a matter which would be brought up in the future and no doubt cause a good number of arguments between them. With their wounds still open and vulnerable, that was something which everyone could do without. This meeting had never been intended as anything to cause strife but rather as something of a debriefing exercise or a summary of events and what they could expect in the future. In the scheme of things, they quite rapidly found themselves running out of things to say. Nobody knew where the Mechanic was. The threat he posed and what he had done were two things that none of those present needed to be reminded of.

Colonel Casey signed off eventually with the promise to visit in a couple of days and keep them informed as much as humanly possible about the hunt for the Mechanic. Even with the holographic display turned off. There was a somewhat uncomfortable moment where the group simply sat there in silence. The reality of the past few weeks hadn't quite sunken in yet. There was no doubt that it would be a while before everything was even remotely back to normal on the island. That would require their loved ones to get better of course. A few days of being back together would hopefully allow them to slip into something which resembled their former routine and help mend things somewhat.

One by one, the family excused themselves, deciding that it was time to turn in. Grandma Tracy stayed up, ensuring that there were no stragglers. Rest was after all, an essential part of the healing process. She ensured that Penelope and Parker were comfortable in the guest rooms and briefly teased John and Ridley about the same matter. There was a spare room for the young captain if she so chose but something told the elder that she was likely to make do without it. They looked somewhat sheepish, the space monitor turning a rather bright shade of pink and pleading under his breath for her to let the matter lie. She offered him a grin but let the matter lie, allowing them both to retreat into their room for the night.

That left her alone in the corridor, well… Not quite…

She turned around slowly so as not to startle the young man with sky blue eyes peering out from his room at her. She smiled softly at him but couldn't help but wonder how long he had been there. Skulking wasn't usually an activity that she would have associated with her eldest grandchild. Given that he was still far from himself however, she was willing to just shrug it off as one of those things. She waited a moment before deciding to try and get at least some form of exchange going:

"You making sure everyone's tucked in safe, kid?"

"Yeah… Something like that." His voice was quiet, timid.

"You might if I come in there? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

He raised his eyebrows, evidently surprised by the request but didn't protest, stepping aside so that she might enter. She did so slowly, calmly. The elder walked in. A quick glance towards the bed confirmed that he hadn't been asleep. Scott closed the door behind him, apparently sensing that this would be a private conversation between the two of them. She sat down on the windowsill, gesturing for him to sit down and make himself comfortable. It was essential for him to be relatively relaxed. She wanted him to want to talk as opposed to making it all feel like pulling teeth. Something however told her that whatever was inside of her grandchild had been bottled up for long enough and now some of it, might just be waiting to come out. The trick was releasing the pressure without causing it all to explode. There was something however which had been troubling her since she'd heard mention of it from Alan:

"You said Kayo didn't want to see you. You haven't seen her to know that…"

He averted his gaze, looking down at the floor and his bare feet instead. Grandma let out a heavy sigh but otherwise remained silent, unwilling to try and force a response. She'd give him a few moments to gather his thoughts, as scattered and confused as they were. With no dialogue in place, it was proving rather hard to help the young man. He refused to talk about any of it. He hadn't actually been hurt by the Mechanic as far as anyone could tell but the experience had none-the-less left him badly scarred in his own way. He sat on his bed, shifting nervously. From time to time, he would raise his eyes to meet hers. He opened his mouth a few times, words on the end of his tongue but simply refusing to come. She hesitated, unwilling to push him too far. He was definitely struggling. After a few moments, it became clear that despite everything, he might need a little bit of exceptionally gentle prompting:

"You can talk to me, Scott. Whatever it is, it'll stay between the two of us."

Her eldest had been avoiding Kayo. Not a difficult task given that she remained bedridden, he'd simply not been in the visit. Curiously, the young woman hadn't asked after him. Something had happened. The elder was able to deduce from the two's actions and behaviour that whatever was the cause for Scott's distance was likely something which they had both been exposed to or witnessed, otherwise she had little doubt that the head of security, as poorly as she might have been would have been so tolerant and understanding. They were yet to discover just what exactly had happened during that painful period they had been held captive. Neither wanted to talk about it, hardly surprising. Unfortunately, that left their family wondering and consequently it was hard not to imagine some nightmare scenarios.

The pain behind his eyes was only too clear to see. It hurt her to have to face him like this. There was nothing that she wanted more than to have her old grandson back, the confident and happy young man was someone whom she missed dearly. They all wanted him back but reaching him was proving to be more difficult than even she had thought possible. A part of the elderly woman didn't want to know just why this silence seemed to be so hard to break. If she was honest with herself, she was somewhat afraid of whatever horrors could have struck the young man down so terribly that he refused to even contemplate talking about it. Those blue eyes were haunted, distant and trapped some place which she, like all of them, dreaded to even try to imagine.

She found herself letting out a soft sigh. It looked like the silence might be about to last. Scott lowered his head, allowing it to hang as if all of his strength had been drained. Grandma lingered for a moment, sitting on the windowsill, contemplating her grandson in silence, feeling nothing but compassion for him. She closed her own eyes, allowing her mind to wander and escape for a little while. It was just as she was doing that that a voice she hadn't expected to hear spoke out:

"I can hear her..."

"Hear her what?" She frowned, her brow creasing as she did so. It was fairly obvious to her that he was referring to Kayo.

"Screaming… I can still hear her. I don't want to but I can't help it."

The statement made the elder feel sick in the stomach. Her mouth dry, she struggled to think of a response. Her initial one was to assure him that Kayo wasn't screaming. She hadn't been, at least not in any of their presence. Concern gripped her as she noticed the change in his expression. There was something different in his eyes now, a frantic panic she wasn't accustomed to. He was scared. The transformation was enough to prompt her to get to her feet. Once there however, she hesitated. It was tempting to wrap her arms around him in an attempt to calm him down, saying that everything was alright and that he was safe. On the other hand, whatever it was which was causing this might be better out than in. The young man plastered his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the screams which seemed to be troubling him so. He was shaking, trembling as he sat there.

Worry and maternal or rather grandmotherly instincts kicking in, she placed a hand on his shoulder, managing to gain his attention:

"Scott… Take a breath. Kayo's fine…"

"It's not that..." It was practically a sob which escaped his lips.

"Then what?.."

"I couldn't help her. She was screaming and I couldn't- wouldn't help her." Shaking his head violently, Scott tugged at his hair madly.

"Easy there." Using some force, she managed to pull his hands away before he ended up with some bald patches. "What is this? Did you have a nightmare?"

Abruptly, without giving any warning, he seemed to calm down. His muscles which had been so tense, eased up allowing him to adopt the slouching posture he had been in only a few moments ago. It came to the relief of his grandmother. Minutes passed, yet he said nothing still trapped in whatever troubles were holding him prisoner. She left him there for a moment, hoping that he might be able to gather his thoughts together. His outburst was something that she hadn't expected and in truth, wasn't entirely sure that she knew how to handle. After all, she was no psychologist. Her past experience with grief and pain had been following the boys' mother's death. There had been many broken hearts and wet eyes during that period. This however was something different. She felt a little but out of her depth.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke, his voice trembling as he did so:

"The Mechanic… He-" He took a deep breath so as to be able to continue. "He hurt her… She was already messed-up when he dragged me in. Then he started again. He said if I told him what he wanted to know, it would stop. I couldn't… She was screaming… I couldn't-"

She silenced him in a second, physically putting her hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking. She'd heard all that she needed to. In a way, it already confirmed some of their theories. They'd known there was a chance that Scott had witnessed some of what had been done to Kayo. Where he was concerned, it could easily have been harder to bear than any physical torture. It did make the wounds somewhat more complicated however as they were deeper. The guilt was crippling. The elder shook her head slowly, taking both of his hands carefully in her own, causing him to look up at her. His eyes were watery but the tears wouldn't flow for some reason.

"You listen to me Scott Tracy, you did all you could for that poor girl. It's nobody's fault but the Mechanic's and she most definitely doesn't blame you, so don't go beating yourself up about it."

"That's what I keep on telling myself… I… I think I need time, alone."

Her gaze softened slightly. She wasn't about to try and force him to talk about it. She didn't know if her grandson was right. She could hope he was. There was still a lot of healing to be done.


	25. Chapter 25

**_Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and sorry for the delay. Hopefully the next chapter won't be as long._**

 ** _/_**

It was pitch black in the corridor. It would be a good few hours or so before the sun showed its face. Until then, it was uncommonly dark on the island. Nobody stirred, the majority of the inhabitants and even the wildlife were still sleeping. With no emergencies and International Rescue only responding to a select few at a time given that two of their operatives were still out of commission, for the first time in a long while, many of the family were able to enjoy a full night's sleep without being disturbed by someone who needed their assistance. There was an exception to the rule however, a pair of feet silently padded through the corridor. They were carefully positioned, silent as their owner took great care to ensure that no one else was awoken by his early morning walk.

A quick flick of the switch would have sufficed to light the place up. He preferred the darkness. Not only did it serve to conceal the fact that he was up and about but it somehow made it easier to think. It was as if the fact that he could scarcely make anything out somehow meant that he no longer had so much to distract him. Ordinarily, the dark would have seemed somewhat daunting to him. Over the past few nights however he had found that it offered a peace and solace that he seldom found anywhere else. It was sitting in the dark and the safety of his lounge that he found himself able to escape the screams which had been haunting him since they had returned. Whilst he might not sleep, at least he could relax and attempt to try and reorganise his thoughts somewhat. No matter how much he thought he had sorted things out however, when the sun came up, it had a way of throwing them back into chaos in the most violent way possible.

He guided himself along by running a hand across the wall as he walked. His fingers registered the slight difference in texture as he emerged into the lounge. Here, there was more natural light coming from the large glass windows. Raising his eyes, he stared up towards the heavens. It truly was a beautiful night. A thousand and one stars seemed to be shining brightly above their heads. Up there somewhere would be John, finally returned to his satellite home after almost a week. He lost himself in the canvas of tiny balls of light, burning up the darkness. They created a strange form of longing in the pit of his stomach. He missed those nights he had spent with his family looking up to the sky and making out the constellations. If only his parents were here, they would have known how to make him fall in love with those stars again. They would have made everything better. It was strange, he mused, that even at his age, after so long without his parents, he still found himself longing for their presence.

He let out a sigh, rubbing his arm as he stepped out fully into the room. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the sky, finding himself easily lost in the number of stars. They made him feel tiny, reminding him of just how small he was in the scheme of things. He stumbled a little, catching himself on the sofa but still keeping his gaze firmly rooted heavenwards. The moon was out as well, it wasn't quite fool but would be in another couple of days and still served to provide an impressive silver disc hanging overhead, generating a fair amount of light.

He felt the hairs on his arms stand on end as someone walked over his grave. It was enough to cause him to shudder and tear his attention away from the sky above. His heart was beating quickly all of a sudden as a nervousness began to take hold. He wondered why, despite the complete and utter silence which surrounded him, he hadn't picked up on the very simple fact that he wasn't the only one currently breathing. Perhaps because whoever else was in the room with him was doing so very softly, it was so discrete as to be practically unnoticeable. That automatically limited the amount of people that it could be on their tiny island. He stood there frozen in place. He fancied that he knew just where they were. Sitting on the sofa opposite and he got the distinct impression that they were looking right at him. Despite that gut feeling, he found himself unwilling to verify the assumption. Instead, choosing to fix the darkness for a while longer.

There was only so long that he could ignore them for. Whilst a part of him simply wanted to run and escape, he was aware that wasn't a possibility either. Very slowly, without even particularly wanting to, he found himself turning round.

His intuition had proved to be correct. There was indeed someone sitting on the sofa, in the scheme of things not all that far away. Because of the darkness, he could make comparatively little more than their silhouette out. There was one thing which was impossible to miss however a set of green eyes were there glinting slightly in the moonlight as they fixed him. From time to time, they would vanish as, he guessed, she blinked. Neither of them spoke. His mouth was dry as for some reason, his heart began to hammer in his chest. Was he afraid? It certainly felt like he was as his mouth ran dry, preventing him from doing anything else other than uttering out in a sigh breath:

"Kayo..."

"Good to see that you haven't forgotten my name. After all this time, I was sort of thinking you might have."

She spoke quietly but there was no denying the anger behind her words. Somehow, although it was little more than a whisper, it somehow managed to carry a powerful toxicity which made him want to shrink away and hide. Scott remained frozen to the spot. In other circumstances, he might have called it shock which left him in such a state. Kayo should not have been out of her bed. Over the past few days, she had gradually become a little more mobile, moving through the house slowly at a hobble. She wasn't very easy on her feet. He'd watched with a pained expression from his slightly open door. He knew that she was meant to be resting. That however wasn't what was paralysing him right now however. He knew fear well enough to know when it had a hold over him. He couldn't respond to her statement but only stared.

He tried to think of some form of justification. Some explanation for his behaviour. It was there but somehow he couldn't figure out how to express it. He found himself wanting to escape, to put some distance between the two of them. Her eyes narrowed, she shifted in the darkness, readjusting her position slightly:

"Two weeks… Even colonel Casey's managed two visits. I haven't seen you once."

"It's late Kayo..." He took a step back, trying to put some space between them.

"Do not try that shit with me Scott!"

Still, she didn't raise her voice enough to risk waking the family. The menace and anger however was unmistakable. He found himself backing off. Kayo leaned forwards. The moonlight cast shadows over her features. She remained daunting, dangerous. He didn't know how to respond. Her fists were clenched. He averted his gaze for a moment, aware that he was in the wrong. She must have sensed some of his shame, as she tensed up. He could see some of the anger and contempt behind her green gaze. The young woman huffed with amusement. Her teeth flashed in the silvery slight as she gave him a wolf's grin. The eldest of the brothers shifted uneasily, barely even able to meet her gaze. She seemed to have calmed down somewhat as her next comment was far more relaxed but still managed to carry something threatening with it:

"I reckon even with one lung, I'm more than a match for you."

"One lung?" He looked up suddenly, sure that he must have misheard.

Despite the darkness, Scott felt that he knew Kayo well enough to be able to see in his mind's eye the expression that she would be pulling. He fancied that he could see that scowl, her brow furred as she stood there, arms folded across her chest. Her head would be tilted ever-so-slightly to the left, trying to figure him out. Silence hung between them. One which only served to inform Scott that he hadn't misheard. She would have corrected him if he had said something incorrect, especially given the current situation. That left him struck dumb. Simply gawking at her. It was probably a good thing that she couldn't see him, see the shock and the pain on his face. It was a while before Kayo spoke in a voice which had lost its rage and was now soft, almost forgiving:

"They didn't tell you?"

"I-I didn't know..."

His encounters with others were strange. Whilst he could clearly remember them. They often appeared a bit foggy in his mind, leaving him sometimes unsure if he had happened at all or if they were part of some dream. Things didn't always seem to be real to him any more. A part of him was convinced that he was going to wake up back in that damned cell or in the room with the dusty white tiles. Some of him though refused to acknowledge that had ever happened in the first place. He found himself helplessly tumbling between the two of them on a daily basis. The latter he could live with, it was the former which kept him from sleeping and caused him to seek solace in the solitude of the earliest hours of the morning. The confusion left him trawling his mind, trying to recall if any of his family had mentioned Kayo's situation to him before. He liked to think it would have left a big enough impact on him for it to register. If they had, it certainly wasn't present in his memories any more.

He felt weak legged, his limbs were shaking as the implications of what Kayo had just said gradually began to settle in. The loss of a lung would prove to be a crippling wound. He didn't know when it had occurred. The Mechanic would have been the cause, there was little doubt of that. Whether he had been the one to actually tear it out or not remained to be seen. The eldest brother suspected it was likely something the doctors had done when they had managed to get her to safety. At the end of the day, it didn't so matter so much as the fact that it was gone. He wanted to say something. Anything, just to express his sympathy. He remained frozen to the spot, gripped and paralysed by a mixture of pain and regret. Tanusha's soft sigh as she continued barely even seemed to register with him:

"Makes sense given how you've been acting these past few days. I guess they didn't want to you to worry about it."

"I don't know..." Anything he tried to say came across an uncertain, incoherent mumblings.

"Is that the best you've got?" The anger crept back in to her clipped and hostile words. "Like I said, I'm done with this bullshit day in and day out. The others are too polite to say it but they are too. So I suggest you sit your ass down and cut the crap."

He wanted to run. To flee as far away as humanly possible. If Grandma were here, she would have given the young woman some very stern words indeed. Bad language was not something generally tolerated in the Tracy household. He doubted that Kyrano would have taken very well to hearing his daughter utter such profanities. Their effect on the eldest brother was profound however, causing him to lower his gaze. Slowly, he did as he was told. Walking round and very slowly, sitting down so as to be opposite the young woman. Her eyes didn't stray away from him for a second. Wary least he try and escape. He made no such attempt however. Instead, he simply sat there, his head lowered and unable to face her.

There was so much that he wanted – needed – to say. For some reason, sitting there, all he could do was remember how much she had suffered before his eyes. Those screams which had been haunting him came back with a vengeance, as did the Mechanic's words and taunts. Scott closed his eyes, choosing to bury his head in his hands. He could have stopped it. He should have stopped it… That realization spun round in his mind. Shame gripped him, preventing him from even daring to look up at his friend or attempting to speak? How could he express sympathy for her right now? It would never be enough, he knew that much. Nothing could ever take back what had happened. He'd tried running from it. Doing everything in his power to distance himself from what had happened. The young man had told himself that Kayo would never want to see him, knowing that he could have stopped her torture with only a few words. He knew in his heart that was wrong.

He raised his gaze to meet Kayo. He saw not the young woman sitting on the sofa opposite him but rather her agonized face as she had been trapped, strapped to the wall as electric current was passed through her body. This time, he couldn't look away. Tears began to flow down his cheeks uncontrollably:

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry..."

He couldn't help himself. The sobs came uncontrollably, tears cascading down his cheeks. He sounded weak. His pleas were desperate. Without warning, all of the tension seemed to have released itself. The dam which had been holding back the flood had abruptly gave way allowing the waters to spill. Thoughts became a blurry mess as his own sorrow and pain took over, drowning everything else out in the process. He cried loudly, losing himself. It had been a long time since he had last lost control like this. He'd lost both of his parents, he knew what it felt like to be literally swamped by his own suffering and the feeling of loss.

The soft padding of feet on the floor didn't even register and Kayo came over to stand in front of him. She looked at him sympathetically, the anger had vanished. Scott kept his head in his hands, loud sobs continued to escape him. Reaching out tentatively, the young woman cautiously wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He tensed up as if somehow the gentleness had hurt him. Surprised by the gesture but still crying, he closed his eyes slouched over allowing himself to be swallowed up by his own sorrow. The young woman tightened her grip, ignoring the twinge of her abdominal muscles which informed her that she was far from completely healed up. She rested her head against his shoulders, listening to regular thumping of his heart. She whispered softly, under her breath but just loud enough for him to be able to hear her:

"I don't blame you..."

His breath hitched as for a moment the sobbing stopped letting her know that he'd most definitely heard her. It took him a moment to shift round, allowing her to sit down on the couch whilst he continued to cry, his head buried against her and hands holding on as if he feared that she might vanish. She rubbed his back basically, trying to ease him through it. In truth, her motivations weren't entirely unselfish, as she found herself glancing over her shoulder to ensure that they weren't about to have some company. She needed to keep Scott relatively quiet so as to avoid waking any of the others. Time seemed to lose all of its importance as they stayed there like that. Was it recovering? Tanusha wasn't so sure. It felt a lot like a simple outcry of pain which her friend had been repressing for too long.

It was a while before he mustered both the strength and the will to raise his gaze to meet hers. His eyes were red as some of his last tears continued to trickle down his cheeks. A soft and understanding smile graced her features as she reached out and delicately rubbed the last few drops of water away. Stroking his cheek as she did so, grimacing briefly at the feel of scratchy hair from his beard as she did so. He must have caught on as he let out a chuckle which became mixed with a sob:

"I didn't keep my promise."

"No… You didn't..." Her voice trailed off for a moment as she smiled softly. "Care to make it up to me?"

The sky of the horizon was just starting to turn a familiar pale blue as the sun thought about rising. With winter approaching, the air was cool outside or at least as "cool" as the south Pacific ever got. For those who had become accustomed to its summer heat, it proved to be decidedly chilly at times, especially if they hadn't left their room in quite a while. The rocks leading down to the beach of Matteo Island were steeper than those which could be found on its neighbour. They made for a somewhat more difficult descent if you wanted to reach the sands. Scott was cautious as he descended with his bag on his back, a large part of his attention focused behind him to see if his friend was keeping up and not struggling.

She was progressing slowly, aware that she was not as strong as she would have been only a month ago. In order to steady herself, she reached out in order to brace herself against some of the rocks. They didn't have that much further to go in the scheme of things. Despite that knowledge, he remained attentive. A tumble could prove to be a painful activity indeed. As such, the young man stayed as close as possible, ready to dart over in a second if his presence was required, knowing full-well that Kayo was far too proud to ever ask for his help.

Finally, his feet touched the soft sands of the beach. His friend joined him a moment later. Her rapid and loud breaths confirmed that she had pushed herself to get here. One lung was something which was taking her a fair amount of time to get used to. She knew how to control her breathing, not giving into panic but simply taking deep breaths. She wasn't getting as much oxygen as she needed. The organ she had left was straining to allow her to keep up her physical activity. He waited patiently, waiting until she had recovered. It wasn't much different to how she would have been had she run a marathon. It took a while but eventually she turned to him, giving him a soft but understanding smile. A brief nod confirmed that she was ready to continue.

They headed over to a few smaller rocks which lay on the sands. Tanusha was quick to settle on one, making herself comfortable as her gaze scanned the horizon which was gradually becoming brighter. She took a deep breath, filling her lung with the fresh morning air before letting out a contented sigh. Scott smiled briefly, watching her for a moment before setting about his business. A part of him was still convinced that his was insane. Kayo should have been in bed recovering or at least inside and not putting any strain on herself whatsoever as opposed to scampering over rocks so as to get to the beach. Her exact motivations for coming out here weren't too clear to him. She'd been rather vague and he hadn't pushed the matter as much as he perhaps should have. It didn't really matter. He knew that he wouldn't have denied her.

Out of his bag, he got the portable gas-burner and began to set it up. His attention drifted back over to the island. There weren't any lights on at the moment, indicating that the other inhabitants were likely still sleeping, blissfully unaware that two of their number had gone out for a morning camping session. They would have a fit when they realized what had happened. Something they would both no doubt have to face later on when they eventually headed back. They had slipped out, it was unlikely that they would be able to slip in once more without being noticed. There was a metal clank as he positioned the frying pan just above the flickering blue flames. It would take a while before it was hot enough to actually be of any use. He looked inside of the bag and pulled out a blanket. The chill in the air was tolerable for him, Kayo however was shivering. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Getting up, he walked over to her. The young woman didn't so much as turn her head, looking actually rather surprised as he draped the fabric around her shoulders.

She muttered a soft "thanks". He simply smiled and left her to her own devices. Settling behind her, he hoped that the horizon was able to distract her long enough for his little surprise to work. Very silently, he slipped a couple of tools out from from his bag, placing them in front of him. His gaze flicked up to fix the young woman. She seemed to be still be contemplating the vastness of what lay out there in the beyond. Good… He set about his work.

In other circumstances, he suspected that she would have sensed that he was up to something. Kayo Kyrano was a very difficult person to surprise – be it good or bad. It was an invaluable trait given her line of work and one which she seemed to have been born with. Even things such as birthday parties bad been somewhat complicated to organise as she seemed to sense that something was going on. Thankfully, right now, she seemed to be too distracted to note the spraying sound as he squirted some shaving foam out onto the palm of his hand and carefully applied it to his face. With the help of a mirror, he ensured that it covered most of the short beard which had grown there. Despite the fact that he had witnessed it grow, he still wasn't quite accustomed to how it felt beneath his fingers. Raising his eyes once more to see his friend, he decided to risk starting up a conversation, just to avoid raising any suspicion:

"Why'd you want to come out here?"

"I just needed to clear my head." She paused taking a deep breath of the sea air to fill her lung. "I've been cooped up in there for days. It felt like I was being crushed."

"You could have asked the others." His eyes widened abruptly as he decided to rectify something he had just said before it was potentially misunderstood. "Not that I mind being out here with you."

"I know… I just wanted to live a little dangerously, that's all. As much as I can any more at least."

He stopped mid-shave, feeling an immense amount of sympathy for the young woman. Her current situation must have been truly maddening for her. He didn't need to see her face to know that he would find pain there. He let out a sigh before finishing with removing his moustache. The pan was almost hot enough for them to envision actually cooking something. He was assuming that Kayo was going to be at least slightly hungry, despite the early morning hour. Hurrying slightly, he decided he had best finish with his shave before she turned around for one reason or another, after all it was supposed to be a surprise. The idea had come to him rather spontaneously as he had been quietly preparing his bag for their little trip as he had recalled all of the times that Tanusha had complained about it. Ideally he would have done the job in a bathroom where it was both brighter and easier to see himself in the mirror. For the sake of his friend however, he had decided that this might make for the better laugh.

The job done, at least somewhat satisfactorily, he was quick to wash his face with a bottle of water before turning back to the pan. From now on out, it was simply a matter of acting casual and waiting until she turned around and noticed. He got all of the ingredients he had carefully packed away out of his bag, mixing them into a bowl. It was strange but the action of breaking the eggs seemed to bring back to him the bizarreness of the current situation seemed to come home.

"You know… I don't think I've ever cooked pancakes on a beach before sunrise."

"Maybe its something that you should do more often."

"You haven't even tried them yet." He looked down at the bowl on his lap. He could make a good pancake, these conditions however weren't exactly the ones he was used to.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. I used to wake up hoping you'd be in the kitchen cooking some up."

Scott found himself smiling fondly at the memory. Things had always seemed a lot simpler back then. It had been just him and his family and those who needed their help. He had enjoyed making the pancakes not only because it spared them from any attempts his grandmother might have made to try preparing breakfast (if any of her concoctions could even be described as such) but because his brothers and Kayo seemed to enjoy it as well. Their smiles made it all worth the while. He made an effort to do it sporadically so as to avoid falling into some kind of a routine and to better be able to enjoy the surprise. Maybe that was why she had asked that he come out here with her and do this, to remind her of all times. Some nostalgia could be a good way to soothe the soul.

He tossed some of the mixture into the pan. It made a delightful sizzling sound as it made contact with the metal. The trick was to ensure that it didn't stick to the pan. The fact that he had actually begun cooking caused him to avert his attention from the young woman and to concentrate on the preparation of their meal if they wanted to avoid a burnt breakfast. As such, he was somewhat startled to hear Kayo suddenly burst out:

"When did you shave?"

"Surprised?" He risked looking up in order to give her a teasing grin.

"Yes." The young woman got up from her seat, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders as she did so. "It does suit you a lot better."

"Thanks."

She settled next to him. Reaching into his bag in and pulling out a couple of cups alongside a flask. Cautiously, she poured out the coffee which they had prepared earlier. He concentrated on dealing with the pancake. It was about done. He gave it a flip with his wrist, manoeuvring to catch it as he always did. The darkness proved to be an extra challenge he could have done without. Overshooting slightly, he only just managed to make the save. Catching the pancake only with the end of his pan and having to work it back in carefully to avoid it slipping out. Kayo simply rolled her eyes at his near failure. She got two plastic plates well as a knife and fork out from the bag as well as the maple syrup.

With the first one done, he cautiously transferred it to her plate. She smiled and mouthed a 'thank you'. Scott smiled softly as he poured the rest of the mix back into the pan. Given that this one was for him, he was a little more careless when it came to whether or not it was burned preferring to watch Kayo's reaction to her own breakfast. She took the bottle of maple syrup and squeezed out a generous helping, enough to surprise her friend. She then proceeded to cut off a small piece and sample it. It was chewed for a few moments, savoured. Tanusha didn't use words to express what she made of it but rather turned to look at him with a true look of glee on her face. She gave him a single nod to let him know that she was enjoying it.

They ate in relative silence, looking out over the horizon. It was perhaps one of the stranger places for him to have breakfast, especially given the relative early hour. For all that, it did offer a strange sense of tranquillity he hadn't been able to indulge in in quite some time. Had Kayo known that? Was that why she had wanted to come out here? He didn't question, choosing instead to enjoy the moment for what it was.

It was Kayo who spoke eventually, deciding to dredge up some moment from the long forgotten past for a some reason:

"Remember that time ours dads caught us smoking?"

"Pretty sure. It was the second longest I've ever been grounded in my life." There was a brief smile there as she thought about it.

"I miss those days." The young woman took a sip of her coffee. "Sneaking around, getting into trouble..."

"You mean getting me into trouble." He raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Our dads always seemed to blame me for leading you astray."

"You're saying you didn't?" It was her time to smile teasing him as she sat there.

"I seem to remember you egging me on more often than not. Can't we agree to share the blame 50/50?"

Kayo laughed. The fact that she was struggling to breathe as she normally would have somehow seemed to fail to register with her. He should have scolded her, told her to take it easy. Instead, he found himself chuckling along. It proved to be somewhat contagious, causing him to laugh with her. It probably only lasted a few seconds, he doubted that her lung would allow her to keep it up for any amount of time. The sun was beginning to come up over the horizon now, bringing with it the first whispers of warmth, with it came the realization that the rest of their family would soon follow.

He didn't know how Kayo was planning to play this. Did she intend to stay out here and brave the consequences or was she planning to slip back into her room before anyone noticed? He knew which option seemed the more appealing to him but then he hadn't just spent several weeks bedridden. Regardless, he found himself glancing over his shoulder back towards the house. He made the suggestion softly, allowing her to know that it was entirely optional:

"Come on… We should get back to bed if you don't want to get found out."

"Is that an invitation?" The teasing glint behind Kayo's eyes as she spoke with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

"It had better not be!"

A stern and dry voice from behind them caused the two picnickers to jump, rather literally in Scott's case. With a single kick, he leapt up, battle ready and his heart racing. He hadn't been expecting company, neither of them had been. At the very least, he fancied that he would probably have heard them sneaking up beforehand. Naturally he recognized the intruder quickly and dropped his guard accordingly. Shock, gradually began to give way to embarrassment and the knowledge that the two of them were in trouble. He felt like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. On an interesting note, he'd never before seen Kayo turn quite such a bright shade of pink. The colour of her cheeks rivalled that of the sky as the sun began to rise. She averted her gaze, looking down at her feet instead.

He wasn't about to question where she had come from. No doubt accessing the passages which lead to Matteo island had drawn some attention. Either that or she'd gone into one of their rooms to check on them as she often did periodically throughout the year and had noticed they were missing. Maybe she had even witnessed them sneak out. It wasn't as if they had tried to conceal their departure. Whatever the case, she was here now and that was all that mattered. They were most definitely in trouble. With her arms folded across her chest and a stern expression, there could be little doubt that she was not best impressed by their actions. This was a position Scott had found himself in several times before albeit not for some time now. He knew full well what to expect and therefore how to act. Right now, it would be best to remain silent and let her do the talking. She would let them know when it was time for explanations. Sure enough, she was quick to continue:

"Just how many pills did the two of you pop? You can't just walk away like that! Just imagine if Kyrano had gone to check on you in the night Kayo! The poor man would have a heart attack! Just what were you trying to do?"

"It's my fault..." Kayo kept her attention focused on the ground as she spoke quietly. "I asked him to do it."

"I figured as much..."

The elder's voice softened noticeably causing the two members of the guilty party to look up with wide eyes. She smiled gently before coming over to them. They simply watched still slightly apprehensive. Even as she settled next to Kayo, sitting down on the rock and looking out over the horizon, mirroring the young woman's actions from earlier. She was met with stunned silence. Scott suspected that she was aware of the confusion and certain feeling of uneasiness that she was creating. No doubt that was some of the intention. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke the silence speaking in a relaxed tone:

"So… You two feel like a little chat in the early morning sun?"


	26. Epilogue

**_Author's note: This is the final chapter of the fic. Thanks for staying with it and all of the reviews. Who knows, maybe they'll be more fics in the future. It's been fun._**

 ** _/_**

Fingers danced over the ivory keys of the Tracy grand piano, creating a gentle and happy melody which made its way through the corridors of the house. It mixed together with the morning bird song coming from the rest of the island. The sun had been up for quite some time now. It warmed their little island pleasantly. Perhaps the rest of the day might be a little bit too hot but for the time being, it was just the right temperature. The smell of fresh bacon from the kitchen continued to hang in the air despite breakfast having been finished almost half an hour ago. Well, for the most part, a portion had been set asides for the island's resident late riser.

It was a pleasant break to be free from rescues. The entire family found themselves in the slightly unusual situation of all being on the island together, with no emergencies looming over their heads. The peace was something which they savoured, taking full-advantage of it. For some, that had meant a lie-in. The rescues from the day before had taken their toll, leaving them longing for the comfort of their beds to provide an extended period of rest. Alan, true to himself, was still taking advantage of the quiet morning to get as much sleep as humanly possible and maybe a little bit more if his brothers allowed him.

Scott sat behind their father's desk. He occupied himself by reading through some of the paperwork involving the purchase of a smaller company by Tracy Industries. It was a task he had put off for as long as possible. This sort of thing was the exact reason he knew he couldn't have done a desk job. He would have gone mad within a week. Grandma Tracy was in the middle of knitting something, as of yet it was a surprise. Judging by the size, it wasn't much of a challenge to guess just who it was for. So long as she stayed away from the kitchen, they had no reason to bother her. Brains remained in his lab, working tirelessly on yet another project.

From time to time, a member of the family would look up, glancing towards where the hologram of John would appear or towards his portrait. He would be calling any time soon. It was simply a matter of waiting. Initially, they had been planning to watch the news live but when faced with the beauty and serenity of the morning, none of them could face it. Instead, they preferred to allow the Space Monitor to keep track of the days events for them and to let them know when it was time for them to switch on. Until them, they were more than happy to simply enjoy the tranquillity and take full advantage of it.

For all that, it wasn't quite peaceful on the island. There was only so much of Gordon's pacing which his brothers could ignore. The second youngest of the brothers had been restless since breakfast, actually even before then. He kept on rushing around, desperate, panicking. It was excessive, they all knew it but weren't all that surprised by his nerves. As such, they had been patient with him as he rushed in from his bedroom into the living room convinced that he'd missed something which needed to be tidied, before charging back towards the bathroom as he recalled that he was yet to brush his teeth or to apply deodorant. What had started as being amusing was now becoming somewhat grating as he continued to charge around in order to ensure that everything was just perfect.

A stark contrast with the Gordon they had all known for quite some time. Grandma assured them it would be a phase and that a few dates in, he would relax and they would be back to the loud brother who also happened to be something of a slob whom they all knew and loved. Until then, they would have to be patient.

For the past five minutes, he had been trying to find his watch. Looking everywhere for it, no matter how absurd a location it was. He didn't seem to be getting the message from Virgil who was periodically giving him a glare in an effort to get him to stop. It proved to be decidedly pointless. He was far too wound up to notice. They knew full-well what it was about. He'd been in a similar state of virtual panic since some time the night before. They would likely have to put up with a fair bit more of it from him, at least another few hours worth. It proved to be hard not to laugh however when he turned to Grandma in a genuine panic and asked:

"You think Brains has it?"

"Why would he have it?" The elder paused her knitting in order to answer her grandchild's question.  
"I dunno. Maybe he wanted to change the battery or something?!"Gordon proceeded to push past Scott in order to check the drawers of the desk.

"And he took it without your permission?" Virgil chuckled at the mere thought. "Seriously Squid, you need to calm down. Penny's coming to help Brains with the outfits, not to perform a spot inspection of Gordon Cooper Tracy!"

"I know that! It's just that last time-"

"Last time you hadn't cleaned your room in almost two months!" Scott methodically closed the drawers one by one after his brother. "You could have gone for a swim in all that trash!"

"Why don't you go and check if he does?" The elder's suggestion earned some silent sighs of relief from the other two brothers. "If he doesn't then stop worrying about it! It will turn up!"

He nodded once before running off towards the genius' lab. Perhaps encouraging their brother to go and bother the engineer when he busy working on a project with a deadline no less was hardly responsible. Still, it would cause him to give them all some rest, for a few moments at least. They knew full-well that he wouldn't be easy until lady Penelope had arrived and he forced himself to try and remain as cool and suave as he was capable of. It was endearing enough in a way to prevent them from becoming completely insane. On his way out, he almost collided with a sleepy looking Alan. The young man made his way out of the corridor, a little startled but still clearly half-asleep. Virgil's eyes flicked up to the clock, this was surprisingly early for him. No doubt it was because he, like all of them, knew they would be welcoming visitors soon. If nothing else, he wouldn't want to miss the broadcast in a few minutes.

He staggered in, yawning loudly as he did so, an action he barely even attempted to mask with his hand in front of his mouth. The youngest of the brothers followed on with a stretch before muttering a sleepy:

"Good morning."

"Morning Alan..." Came the replies.

"I haven't missed the broadcast, have I?" The young man made his way over to his breakfast, driven more by instinct than anything else.

"No." Grandma shook her head negatively. "Shouldn't be long though."

"Good. Looks like Gordon's still flipping out." He took a bite of his bagel as he spoke.

"He's just nervous." Virgil spoke more softly now, with a greater understanding of his sibling. "You'd probably be the same if you were in his shoes. Lady P's a big catch."

He nodded slowly, understanding. They would tease him for a while longer until either he got used to it or the fun stopped. Alan wolfed down the bagel which had been set asides for him in a matter of seconds. It was a wonder to his brothers that he was even able to taste it. All of the food he consumed seemed to go upwards, giving him ever more inches, he was coming terrifyingly close in Scott's mind to being able to look him in the eye. The eldest brother took another sip of coffee, leaning back in his chair as he did so. He offered his family a gentle smile, finding himself content to sit back and bask in the morning sun. He was already planning certain elements of his day (as much as rescues would allow) as he sat there.

A beeping drew their attention, it was a familiar sound, one which informed them that the space monitor of Thunderbird 5 was calling. They had been expecting to hear from him. Waiting patiently for his call. Within a few seconds, the friendly face of the middle brother appeared. His relaxed demeanour reassured them that all was well and that they weren't about to be called out for one kind of disaster or another. Alan was the first to greet him, speaking with a mouth full of food:

"Hey Jo'n."

"Hi guys. You all sleep well?" He gave the youngest a knowing smile.

"Almost… Up twice last night." There was a reason that Scott was drinking coffee.

"Ouch. Well, at least it's getting better." The comment earned a groan. "I take it Gordon's still in panic mode?"

"Just a little bit." Virgil let a knowing smile do the rest of the talking.

John nodded slowly before becoming slightly distracted. His family waited patiently whilst he had a discussion somewhere further away, out of their sights. They couldn't tell just what they were saying. It seemed well natured enough. Some gentle laughter only confirmed that guess. They heard a "good morning" coming from somewhere out of their sight, they responded with greetings of their own. When the middle brother reappeared moments later, there was a warm and contented glow coming from him. A gentle smile which occupied his face. They waited for him to speak, knowing that he would give an explanation in a few seconds:

"Yeah… We're going to need another supply shipment."  
"Already?" Virgil looked up from his composition, the music stopping as he did so. "We were up there just last week."

"Yeah… Those rations were calculated for two people on Thunderbird 5." There was a somewhat gleeful smile on his brother's face as he spoke. "Not two and a half."

"FAB" Grandma hid her mouth in order to to muffle a giggle as she read in between the lines. "You tell her to take it easy. A wedding is one thing in zero gravity, giving birth to a baby another."

"Will do." He hesitated for a moment, his mouth slightly ajar but still no words coming out. Finally, he cleared his throat before adding. "The broadcast is about to start..."

He received no verbal response. Those present immediately dropped what they were doing, giving the news report which popped up on the screen their full and undivided attention. A young woman stood before them, behind her was a screen showing live footage from outside an imposing looking building. There was a large crowd which had assembled outside. They stood there, gathered together and waiting eagerly. It was clear that they had been there for quite some time, patience was beginning to run out. All eyes rested on the door, anticipating the slightest hint of them opening. Positioned on either side of it and keeping the crowds back were a large number of GDF soldiers. Seeing that nothing seemed to be happening, the reporter filled the silence with her own words:

"-It's been five years since the GDF admitted that the Mechanic had disappeared. After remaining off of the radar for over four years, he was finally apprehended in September of last year by the GDF and International Rescue's head of security who preferred to remain anonymous. It's believed that they along with Scott Tracy, the eldest of the famous Tracy brothers were called in to testify during the trial. Now that trial has been going on for some months and finally today we heard that the sentence had been- There he is!"

The sudden cry was startling enough to cause a few members of the audience to jump. Finally, those hours of waiting had served their purpose. A man emerged. He was in handcuffs, being lead away quickly by several GDF soldiers. The cameras all converged on the man, flashes going off like a thousand flashes or lightning. Scott felt a slight feeling of unease as he stood there. It wasn't so much the presence of the man as the fact that he found himself in the criminal's shoes. He recalled the fear of being paraded around, tied and bound in front of the media, feeling convinced that these could be his last few moments alive. The sickness in the pit of his stomach caused him to avert his eyes.

His malaise didn't seem to have been noticed, the other's attention remained fixed only on the report. There was the sound of trainers on the floor, causing the eldest brother to turn to see Gordon emerge, face flushed obviously aware that he he'd almost missed the report. The Mechanic's face was harsh. He showed no sign of fear or remorse, looking up into the camera with his dark eyes as if he was starring right at them. A second later, he was pushed into the van which wasted no time in starting up and driving off.

A voice could be heard off-camera. It belonged to Colonel Casey. They were quick to focus in on her. The woman had taken the place behind a podium, obviously intended for the press conference to follow. She was dressed in her full uniform, medals shining in the midday sun. She stood tall and proud but solemn as she spoke, recounting the events of the trial and it's result:

"-The Mechanic has been sentenced to life and the GDF will see that he serves his sentence. It will be-"

"Where's Kayo?" Gordon's eyes scanned the room noticing her absence for perhaps the first time. "I thought that she wanted to see this."

"I haven't seen her all day." Virgil turned his attention to Scott, aware that he had been the first one up.

"She's down on the beach." Scott let out a soft sigh neither regretful nor content. "I guess she's got better things to worry about."

He got up a second later, excusing himself. Even after all of these years, there were some things he would rather not remember, especially not on a day like today.

His family watched him go sympathetically before turning their attention back to the screen. None of any of this came as much of a surprise. Casey had been on the line just the night before to let them know what the verdict would almost certainly be. International Rescue had been linked to the case more than they ordinarily would have like to be. On the rare occurrences of an arrest by the organisation, they almost inevitably simply handed them over, did a small amount of paperwork and then forgot about it. This had been different. Two of their own had been called to testify. They had been made to stand up in court and give their versions of events. A room full of people had seen the pictures taken by the doctors of Kayo Kyrano's injuries. There was enough nightmare juice there to last them a lifetime.

"That's it done and dusted..."

Grandma's words were firm, final. It was time to call it a day and close that chapter of their lives. It was time for them to stop thinking about it. A difficult challenge but one which would hopefully become at least somewhat easier now that they had been given some form of finality. It would still linger in the back of their minds, a haunting reminder that they should never drop their guards. However, it might begin to be less painful and no longer play such a role in their lives. After all, those had changed as well. As their elder had been reminding them periodically since they had first been reunited, they had to keep on going and live their lives accordingly, most importantly, they needed to make the most of it.

Virgil was the first to turn away, returning to his piano. John's hologram blipped off a moment later. Gordon lingered for a few minutes, waiting to hear the last few words of the colonel before they were analysed and recapped by the reporter. It was finally a beeping which informed them that a craft was incoming which drew him away, rushing towards the hangar where he would be able to great the Lady first. Alan slowly allowed his attention to fall back on his grandmother. The woman sat there for a moment before a gentle smile made its way onto her face. It took a second before he mirrored the gesture.

Walking slowly, the youngest of the brothers headed out onto the terrace. It offered a stunning view of the island. In the distance, his gaze quickly found a pink spot which was gradually approaching. Anywhere else, a bright pink flying Rolls Royce would have been a cause for a quick trip to the nearest psychiatric hospital. Here, it was pretty standard. He found himself smiling, imagining the excitement slowly growing in his immediate older brother at the thought of the imminent arrival. They'd all been there enough to witness him practically bouncing around with nerves. His attention only lingered on FAB1 for a few moments however as it was quick to travel back to the beach in the distance. Even at this distance, he could make out the distant figures of a few individuals down there on the sands and near the waves. He was too far away to make out much of what they were doing, much less what they were saying but he could picture the scene. It was enough to bring a feeling of serenity, completion perhaps as Grandma had suggested, knowing that a painful chapter of their history had been closed. Hopefully for good.

Scott approached Kayo carefully. She had her back turned to him, facing towards the blue sea. Her expression was gentle, serene. She was aware of his presence but simply chose not to acknowledge it. She must have been down here for an hour already, having had her breakfast and shower beforehand. Hardly surprising, the woman had always been an early riser. He came over so as to stand by her side. There he remained, saying nothing as he tried his best to get a feel for the woman's nerves. He'd learned that it was always best with her to be cautious. As such, when he finally did decide to break the silence, he did so carefully, "fishing" with a somewhat innocuous statement:

"Grandma's knitting a bonnet."

"Another one?" The woman laughed softly. "It's lovely of her but they're not exactly a must-have in the south Pacific."

"She used to make them all the time for us when we were kids."

Kayo smiled, her attention travelled gradually over to him. She could almost certainly tell that something else was driving him. If she didn't immediately question him, it was only because movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look away. She contemplated the cause for a moment before judging that it was safe enough to turn back to the eldest of the brothers. The head of security waited patiently until he was completely sure that it was alright for him to bring up a subject which he knew to be somewhat touchy. Considering how relaxed she appeared to be, he decided to none-the-less risk disturbing the harmony of the beach in order to enquire about it:

"They just sentenced the Mechanic. He's getting locked up but then you knew that."

"Yes. I did." She struggled to maintain her concentration as something collided with her legs.

"You didn't want to watch." He deduced forcing himself to look her in the eyes despite the obvious distraction.

"I didn't need to… It's in the past. I've got a whole future to look forwards to now."

He was quiet, sensing that he was about to lose the battle for the woman's attention anyway. Kayo bent down and picked up the infant who had decided to cling to her leg so tightly, a sure sign that she wanted some attention. A series of odd noises followed. It would a while before "mama" came but perhaps not much longer. Until then, they could look forwards to the nonsensical yet prolonged babble the baby seemed capable of generating. The child's green eyes quickly rested on him. She smiled before reaching out, offering him a shell.

"For me? Oh, thank you."

There was a giggle from the child, apparently she was glad that he appreciated his gift. Scott smiled, she stroked the child's head under her mother's caring gaze. Tanusha placed the infant back down on the sands with a kiss to its head. It wasn't long before she was back to playing. She would rush towards the waves and then flee as quickly as possible, letting out a periodic scream of joy as she did so. The adults were content to watch, keeping a close eye on her in order to ensure that she didn't get into any trouble. It was something easier said than done. The girl seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble.

It was some time later that a beeping caused both of them to jump. They found themselves greeted by the familiar face of the Space Monitor:

"International Rescue we have a situation."

"Go ahead John." Scott spoke for the two of them.

"Gas fire off the coast of New Zealand, there's some talk of the Hood being involved. You two up for it?"

"I think we can handle it..."

It was a knowing smile which passed between the two of them. They got to their feet. It was a well practiced maneuver which allowed Kayo to scoop up the child without causing panic. The two of them ran, heading back towards the island where the familiar rumble of rocket engines could be heard.


End file.
